Multiverse Chronicles
by Alakazam17
Summary: Two Psychic trainers from the Pokemon world embark on their journey through countless anime universes, though each has a different goal in mind. Along the way they meet a variety of characters, friends and foes.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_Goldenrod City, Johto_

It was the cliche dark and stormy night. The usually bright and brimming city was now shrouded in a mist of darkness. The Goldenrod Department Store had closed early as a result, as people rushed to their homes to wait out the weather.

But Bill was not one of these people. He was a Pokemon Researcher, and he enjoyed observing the wild Pokemon of the area. At the moment he was at the city's shore, observing the habits of the local species. There was a tiny Krabby who couldn't have been over a day old, darting his eyes back and forth. Bill assumed that he had been separated from his friends during the storm.

Just then he saw the sky light up, as a lightning bolt struck the top of the radio tower. It had made it seem as bright as day for a split second, before once again going into darkness.

But in that second, Bill had made out the form of a man, standing atop the tower. A masked man, with violet-coloured bushy hair, wearing a suit.

"What the...." Bill began to say, looking back to the Krabby. It was no longer in sight, probably taking the time to find shelter in the sea. Looking back to the radio tower, he realized it was too dark for him to make anything out.

He decided to let it go for the time-being, and began his walk home. It was one thing being out in the rain, but another thing being outside when lightning that powerful was striking the earth.

But he had only taken about three steps before it happened. His body had stopped moving....just stopped. His eyes, which were the only part of his body that could move, grew big with fear as he scanned the area for the cause of the problem. Though it was his ears which found the answer: footsteps, coming from the rocky shore behind him. And the beginnings of a laugh.

"Bill Masaki, I see. You never could stay inside, could you?"

"Good day, William," Bill said, still unable to move. "I take it this is your doing?"

Will laughed mildly, as though listening to a joke he didn't think was funny. "So I take it you like my new powers, huh?" he said, stepping into the Pokemon researcher's line of vision. "How about I show you another?"

Bill tried to respond, but he found that he could not. Now all that he could do was watch. Watch as the wind and rain struck his face, blowing off his hood. Watch as Will raised his palm towards him, with a maniacal grin on his face. Watch as that palm began glowing a bright white colour, as it surged with electricity.

Will laughed as he saw the look on Bill's face. "Goodbye, Bill." With that, sparks began flying from his hand as he let out a lightning strike at point blank range. At the same time, he released his grip on Bill's movements.

As he would never move again....

****************************************

_Saffron City, Kanto_

Sabrina opened her eyes.

Looking out the window, she could see that the sun was already up, allowing the start of a new day. Glimpsing her alarm clock, she could see that she had once again gotten up mere minutes before it was set to ring. Which was good, actually, as the ring was rather annoying to her.

Getting out of bed, she stretched her arms as she went to the window. As the window magically rose, Sabrina got a breath of the fresh morning air as she looked to the sky. It was a nice spring morning, with not a cloud in the sky. Though she knew it wouldn't stay as such thanks to a storm front on it's way from the western province of Johto. But she could still enjoy it while it remained.

She then proceeded to get ready for her day, having some breakfast and showering. While deciding what to wear, she checked her schedule for the day. There was a trainer coming within the hour, but after that she'd have the day to herself until the early evening.

Now in a nice sleeveless purple dress, she heard a hyper chirping sound coming towards her. Soon later, her Natu, Xelda, flew into the kitchen and perched herself on her trainer's shoulder. Sabrina laughed, nudging the bird a little as she went to get some Pokemon food.

"Here you go," she said, taking a handful of the stuff and moving it to Xelda's beak. She quickly gobbled it up and made a soft cooing sound.

With Xelda still on her shoulder, Sabrina went to check on her other Pokemon. Most of them were out on the battlefield, which was good as she was expecting a challenger at any moment now. Upon reaching the field, she didn't know whether to laugh or yell: her Venomoth had once again sprayed Espeon with Sleep Powder, and was currently perched atop the feline's sleeping head.

She laughed it off, knowing very well that the two were friends no matter what they did to each other. "Come on, guys," she said, motioning to her Pokemon friends. "We have a battle to get ready for."

The words had just left her mouth as she began to hear the trainer's footsteps as he came through the gym's entrance. It was a teenage boy, wearing a green t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Just like the last time she had seen him.

"Greetings, Jackson," she said, smile on her face as she gave a wave. "Natu!" Xelda cried out as she flapped over to greet the Johto trainer.

"Uh, hey Sabrina, Xelda," Jackson said, sounding a little nervous. "So, you....uh, free at the moment?" He chuckled a bit, looking down to the floor. She noticed a slight redness in his cheeks.

"I'm always ready for a battle," she responded, with a smile that would cause any straight man to turn to mush. "But like last time, I won't go easy on you."

A few minutes later, and the battle was underway. Sabrina motioned her hand toward a pack of poke balls by her side, gravitating one of them towards the stage. "Go, Espeon!" she called out as the feline materialized on the stage, no longer under the effects of the Sleep Powder.

"An Espeon, eh?" Jackson said, going over his option. "In that case, go, Mismagius!"

Mismagius, Sabrina thought. So he's evolved that Misdreavus from before. This should be interesting....

Espeon began the match with a Calm Mind, deciding on improving his Special capabilities before anything else. It turned out to be a good choice, as the Mismagius followed up forming a Shadow Ball and shooting it straight at her. Surviving the blow, Espeon began forming a Shadow Ball of her own. Mismagius took the hit hard, collapsing on the ground.

Jackson stood there, shocked. "Mismagius, return!" he shouted, as the Ghost Pokemon disappeared into his poke ball.

Sabrina was a little surprised that the Mismagius went down so quickly, but she soon moved her thoughts to the next round.

She had sent out Haunter, while Jackson sent out Meganium. Haunter started the match by dematerializing, reappearing in front of the Johto starter with her Hypnosis attack. Though despite the close range, and possibly thanks to Jackson's cries of encouragement, it missed. This then allowed Meganium to set up a Substitute, blocking further use of the move.

Sabrina let out a soft laugh, as she motioned for her Haunter to get some distance on the Meganium, before launching a Sludge Bomb attack. The Haunter did as asked, forming a glob of poison from within her mouth, shooting it towards the Substitute, breaking it instantly. Now without a clone to help him out, Meganium attempts shooting a series of Leech Seeds in Haunter's direction. However, thanks to the Ghost's speed and distance from the Pokemon, she was able to avoid it.

Haunter then repeated what she did in the first round, appearing before the Meganium and unleashing her Hypnosis attack. This time it was successful, making Meganium slump down to the floor as she began to snore. And from there the battle was easily won.

"Meganium, return!" Jackson called out, obviously disappointed.

Sabrina was about to say some words of encouragement, but before she had the chance, her Alakazam appeared before her. She had a radio in her arm, and a look of shock on her face.

"What is it?" Jackson said, questioning Sabrina. But after awhile he just listened along with her.

_"....research is known worldwide, Bill Masaki, has been fatally wounded in Goldenrod City late last evening when he was struck by lightning...."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Goldenrod City, Johto_

The moment Sabrina heard the news, she immediately canceled her schedule for the rest of the day, and got on the next Magnet Train straight for Goldenrod. Bill could not be dead....he couldn't! She was just talking with him a few days ago....

***********************

"What is this?" Sabrina asked, pointing to a screen shot of chibi-Glaceon on the refrigerator.

"Oh, that's Berga," Bill answered, being pulled back into reality. "We had a visit to Hayley's Pokemon Ranch last week."

Sabrina smiled, knowing very well that he had something else on his mind. She took a sip of her beverage, sitting down at his kitchen table, awaiting his words.

Bill was standing by the window, looking dazed as he stared out towards the ocean. "Sabrina," he began. "What do you know of the Toraifosu?"

"Toraifosu?" Sabrina repeated the word, recalling the time she had heard it before, in what almost seemed to be another lifetime....

"It's a golden medallion spoken about in Sinnoh legend. It is said that whoever obtains it will be given ultimate power."

"Ultimate power...." Bill repeated her words. "Any idea about what that means?"

"Bill, it's just a legend," Sabrina said, but she didn't believe her own words. Then, "what have you found?"

**************************

Sabrina was brought back to the present as the Magnet Train came to a stop. Within moments she was immersed in the frantic life of the Johto metropolis. People walking every-which way, going to who-knows-where. She looked to the Department Store, one of the largest buildings in town, cementing the city's place in capitalist society. Sabrina was grateful that Celadon City was home to such places, leaving Saffron alone.

"Hey lady," she heard a young man say from behind. "Want to buy some death sticks?"

Sabrina stopped, and turned around to face the idiot. "No," she snapped, giving him the darkest glare she could muster. He didn't say another word.

Finally arriving at Bill's seaside home, Sabrina could see that the police were still at the scene.

"Excuse me, ma'am," an Officer Jenny said, rushing to her side. "You are not allowed to come in here."

Sabrina, feeling frustrated by the woman's words, looked deep into her eyes. "Yes I am," she said to her.

"Yes, you are," Jenny replied, almost as if she were in a trance. For in a trance she was.

Sabrina stepped up to the front door, feeling a tad guilty about hypnotizing the poor officer. But there was no other way, and she knew it.

****************************

Bill had shown Sabrina a plaque that his comrade Bebe had sent to him. It had been uncovered beneath the ground in the Snowpoint City bay area. Perhaps for hundreds, if not thousands of years. But what made it more fascinating was the fact that the writings on it were a language like no other either person had ever seen before. And there was an image on it as well: three equilateral triangles, two at the bottom and one above, making a seemingly familiar yet unfamiliar shape.

"The Toraifosu!" Sabrina said, exasperated.

Bill nodded. "I can't think of any other explanation. According to the local legends, there exists a rare few who posses the ability to harness the Toraifosu's power. Whatever that may be."

"And these people...?" Sabrina began.

"Psychics," Bill said. "There are not very many of you in the world, Sabrina."

***************************

She was now standing in that very kitchen where she had spoken to him. Looking out the very window that she had looked out the other day. Although now the warm sunlight shining brightly on the calm seawater was replaced with dark rainclouds overlooking waves crashing upon the shore.

Forcing herself back into the present, Sabrina made her way to Bill's study. It was quiet, as expected of a study. Just his computer set on his desk, a hollowed out Babiri Berry used for storing his pens and pencils, and a pile of books on various subjects.

Sabrina sat in his chair, and reached under the desk searching for the hidden compartment that she knew was there. And, just as expected, a small platform lowered, allowing her to have a look inside.

However....there was nothing there. The plaque had been taken!

Sabrina took another look, and realized there was something else at the back of the compartment. Reaching for it, she grabbed it and pulled it out. It was a single, pitch-black coloured rose.

The levers in her brain began turning. Toraifosu....the plaque....and now the rose....

_"Psychics," Bill said. "There are not very many of you in the world, Sabrina."_

"Will," Sabrina said softly through gritted teeth, as a single tear rode down her cheek. "What have you done?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Snowpoint City, Sinnoh-one week later_

"Espeon!"

Sabrina wiped the sand out of her eyes, and glanced towards her Pokemon. The Espeon had her paws on the window glass, looking gleefully at the land outside.

"Ah, we've made it," Sabrina noted, following the Pokemon's gaze. She could see the dock up ahead, with the pristine snow-capped mountains in the backdrop.

Noting that the S.S. Aqua would be arriving in just a few minutes, she began to get her things ready. She was now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a green woolen sweater. Over the sweater she put on a deep purple overcoat that she had purchased in Celadon City just the day before.

"Espeon, you better get back into your poke ball," Sabrina said with a wink, as she laced up her boots. "I don't want you catching cold now." With that, she opened her poke ball, as the Espeon dematerialized into it.

Making sure that she had put everything back into her backpack, Sabrina left her room, and made way for the front of the ship. The moment she stepped out into the evening air, she could feel the cold air on her face. Definitely a lot different from what she was used to in Kanto, though nothing she couldn't handle. It was a lot warmer than some of the regions of Canada that she had been to.

Once on land, Sabrina made her way to the Pokemon Centre. Looking up, she watched as the snowflakes, seemingly dancing with the wind, fell to the ground. There was already about five centimetres of snow on the ground, so she was glad she had put her boots on ahead of time.

She also noticed the townsfolk, going about their daily business. It wasn't as bustly as Goldenrod, which was expected as Snowpoint was isolated from the rest of the country, what with the Coronet Range separating it from the closest town. But that of course meant there should be some more interesting company, as the majority of people making their way to the city were Pokemon Trainers, either looking to battle the local leader or to catch the next ship to the Battle Tower in the east.

Arriving at the Pokemon Centre, she realized she was right: the place was just buzzing with Pokemon Trainers. Glancing around the room, she could see people of all sorts: young, old, male, female, etc. And seeing as this was one of the hardest Gym cities to venture out to, she expected most of them to be quite skilled at battling.

But that was not why she was here. There were many talented battlers around, yes, but she was looking for one man in particular.

Walking up to the receptionist, she gave a slight smile. "Hi there," she said. "I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Do your Pokemon need some assistance?" the woman, who Sabrina assumed was named Joy, said.

"No, nothing like that," Sabrina told her. "I'm just looking for someone. His name is Will. He's a violet-haired man, and he often wears a mask. Have you seen him here recently?"

Joy remained silent for a moment, thinking. "I can't be sure," she admitted. "There are so many new faces in here everyday. I don't think I could pick out just one, sorry."

"You may not be able to," Sabrina said, feeling a little guilty about what she was about to do. "But _I_ can...."

Though, before she could do anything more...."Sabrina! Is that really you?"

Sabrina's mouth went open and she turned around to see the one who had recognized her. She was certain that being so far away from home, no one would recognize her up here. Apparently she was wrong.

It was a young woman, probably a year or two younger than she was herself. She had deep brown eyes and long braided black hair. She had on a white blouse and a short tan skirt, with a cyan jacket wrapped around her waist. She was obviously a local, as no sane woman from the south could wear something like that in subfreezing temperatures.

Getting a better look at her face, the woman smiled. "Yes, it is you!" Quickly running over to her side, she made a slight bow of the head as she said "I'm Candice, Snowpoint City's Gym Leader. It is an honour to meet you, Sabrina of Saffron."

Sabrina had a blank stare on her face. She had never heard of this woman before, but it was obvious that the inverse was not as such. She decided to make the best of the situation.

"Oh, hey!" she said, doing her best to sound 'normal,' as she planted a big smile on her face. "Nice to meet you, Candice! How are things going for you up here?"

Candice's face turned a deeper shade of pink as she heard Sabrina's words, as she said "Things are great-especially now that you're here!" she said, laughing a little. "Hey, I just had a thought. Why don't you come over to my gym?"

"Thank you, really," Sabrina said. "But I'll have to decline. I'm looking for someone right now, and I really have to get on my way."

Candice looked a little disappointed, but it seemed as though she understood. _Thank God she isn't Whitney,_ Sabrina said to herself, imagining the Goldenrod Gym leader sitting in a pile of tears after hearing a similar statement.

"What is so popular with Snowpoint with Pokemon League trainers these days?" Candice then asked. "You're the second I've seen in as many days. You know Will Itsuki, the Kanto Elite Four sweetie?"

Usually, she'd make a remark about him not being a sweetie, but she had other things on her mind. "He was here? Yesterday? What did he say? What did he do?"

Candice's head went to the side, as she looked Sabrina over. "Wow, you seem different all of a sudden. Is that why you're here, looking for your boyfriend?"

"No," Sabrina said, resisting the urge to throw up at the thought. "He has something with him that doesn't belong to him."

"You mean that plaque?" Candice said, now acting a little more serious with Sabrina. "He said he had discovered it recently, and he wanted to know if I knew anything about it."

"And do you?" Sabrina asked, both curious and worried about what her answer would be.

Candice nodded. "It's an old alphabet that used to be used a long time ago. Not to many know about it anymore, but I've seen some of the same characters in the Snowpoint Temple."

_Snowpoint Temple!_ Sabrina repeated the name in her mind. If this Candice girl was telling the truth about Will and the plaque, then she was certain that he would have gone to the temple.

"Candice," Sabrina began. "I don't suppose you could tell me where this temple is?"

"Jeez, you sure you aren't his girl-."

Sabrina held up her hand, as she was getting a little angered now. "It'd be in your best interest if you not finish that sentence."

Candice shut up, as her cheeks grew a little redder. "Yeah, I can show you where it is," she said. And with that, the two Gym Leaders left the Pokemon Centre.

Stepping outside, Sabrina noticed that it had got even colder now that the sun had set. The only light appeared when the crescent moon showed itself from behind the snow clouds. As a result she noticed that there were not too many people outside anymore. Everyone was safe and sound in their beds, awaiting the dawn of the next day.

Candice, much to Sabrina's surprise, still had the jacket wrapped around her waist. And she didn't seem the least bit cold! She could hear the sounds of the girl's shoes crunching in the snow as she walked towards an conclave of trees. She then pointed into the distance. "It's straight out there," she said. "But I suggest you wait until morning before going there. It can get really-."

"I can't wait any longer," Sabrina told her, coming to stand beside her. "As you said, I'm already a day behind him. Who knows what he's gotten himself into."

Matching her gaze to Candice's, Sabrina scanned through the darkness with her eyes, looking for the temple.

Then, as the moon showed itself once again, she caught a glimpse of it. It was only for a second, but it was good enough.

Older than anything she had seen around home, and definitely older than anything she had encountered in Canada. It was dark grey, almost as if it were constructed entirely of earth and rock. There were four large pillars at the front, with a long staircase placed with two on each side. The whole thing was covered in a thin layer of frost, with a mountain of snow half-burying two of the pillars and half of the staircase.

And atop the temple, she noticed something else. It was only a split second, if that, but she was certain that she had seen a Pokemon there.

The Disaster Pokemon. It is said that that Pokemon is able to predict when natural disasters will occur, and that will make its rare appearance at such a time.

"Absol."


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, finally....the chapter that will make or break this idea. It came to me to go this route somewhere about the second chapter. But then I got to thinking of this fanfic I never managed to get going with that put Naruto in a sort of leading role. As I didn't feel like writing like that, I began thinking up an adventure with Sabrina. And then this hit me, XD. Read to find out what I mean. ^^

**Chapter Four**

Sabrina arrived at the Snowpoint Temple.

If it looked eerie from the Pokemon Centre, it was even more so up close. And with it being so far off from the other buildings of the town, it felt like she was deep in the forest. The dark, cold forest in the middle of a snowfall.

Sabrina could no longer see the Absol, but that didn't mean it wasn't still around. If it were any other type of Pokemon, she may have been able to better sense its presence. If it wanted to show up, it would. Simple as that.

Before venturing up the staircase, Sabrina checked for any signs of recent activity. None. Either Will had not come this way, or he was very careful in making sure he wasn't noticed.

Rather than take every step up with fear of slipping on the ice-glazed ground, Sabrina came up with another method. Her eyes closed shut, as a purple aura began to envelop her, lifting her body off the ground. Opening her eyes once again, she slowly moved herself up to the top of the stairs, settling herself back down on the ground at the top.

Once settled, she reached into her backpack and took out a poke ball. "Go, Hoshi," she whispered gently as the Starmie materialized before her. It seemed a bit out of place, a starfish on in cold winter temple, but Sabrina knew she could handle it. "I need you to keep this place illuminated, 'kay?" Sabrina said, patting her Pokemon on one of her upper portions. The jewel on the Pokemon's centre began to glow with a brilliant violet-red colour, as the area around it lit up. "Okay, let's go in."

Stepping inside, Sabrina took as much of a look around as she could with Hoshi's help. Just like outside, it looked like there had been nobody around for ages, what with the soft layer of snow being devoid of footprints. She didn't know if Will was capable of floating like she was, but even so it would be strenuous to do for too long.

She then heard some scuffling in the back of the room. "Who's there?" she asked, unable to see beyond the reach of Hoshi's illumination.

It reacted to her voice in an instant, flying straight for them, fangs at the ready. "Hoshi, Ice Beam!"

The Starmie built up some frosty energy-which wasn't too hard given her location-and unleashed an Ice Beam straight at the Golbat's wings. The fight was over in an instant, as the Pokemon fell to the ground in a heap, fainted.

But wait....Sabrina went to the Pokemon's side, noting something odd about it. Her hand covered her mouth as she realized what it was: the Golbat had not fainted.

It was dead.

Looking closer at the Pokemon, she could see that he had been in battle recently. There was a large burn-mark on it's back, almost as if it had been struck by lightning. A Thunderbolt attack wouldn't leave such a mark, nor would Thunder. Regardless of whether Hoshi had struck him or not, that Golbat was never going to see the next sunrise.

_"...Bill Masaki, has been fatally wounded in Goldenrod City late last evening when he was struck by lightning...."_

"He's here," Sabrina said aloud, looking to her Starmie, then to the Golbat.

Over the next few minutes, Sabrina made her way further into the temple, all the while finding more and more evidence of Will's presence, in the form of Pokemon injured with the same mark. And once she was down two levels she began to notice his footprints on the frosty floor.

As she approached the fifth level, she noticed that Hoshi was no longer the only one providing the room with light. She quickly recalled the Pokemon and made the last few steps to the level.

And there he was.

A man in his mid-twenties. Purple-coloured hair, with a pair of black eyes showing from within his black mask. He was wearing a black suit with red cuffs and tie. But what stood out the most was that maniacal grin on his face.

"Sabrina!" he said, almost shouting. "What a nice surprise, seeing me off!"

There were some building tools around him, along with the plaque that Bill was deciphering. Sabrina didn't know if Will could decipher it, but it seemed like he knew something more about the place.

"To be honest, I'm not really that surprised seeing you here, though. You were always so, how should I put it, I know, _good_, since you stopped carrying that doll around everywhere with you. Haha!"

"Why?" Sabrina asked, looking at him sternly, not intending to participate in his childish games. "You left the Pokemon League, you killed...no, you _murdered_ Bill, and now you're here. Why?"

"Haha, so you've heard," Will said. "Poor Masaki was struck by lightning. Such a tragic death, wasn't it? You know the chances of getting struck by lightning are smaller than winning the lottery. I guess it just wasn't his day."

"You stand there and deny it?" Sabrina said, walking closer to him, as a purple aura began to surround her body once again

Will noticed this, but did not bat an eyelash. Instead, he laughed. "All in good time, my dear," he said. "All in good time."

"What are you talking about?" Sabrina asked, for some reason unable to understand the maniac's rants.

"You've seen this plaque here before, huh?" Will said, ignoring her words. "It speaks of an ancient artifact, the Toraifosu. Did you know that?"

Sabrina said nothing.

"But you see, the Toraifosu is not one object, but many. It was broken up long ago, and placed throughout the multiverse. You know what the multiverse is, Sabrina? Well no, of course you don't. It's...."

Sabrina of course knew what he was talking about, but she didn't bother letting him know. The multiverse theory states that there are several alternate timelines, or universes, that all together make up reality. But it was just a theory....

"There are countless realities out there, Sabrina. Some where pirates still sail the oceans, others where mythical beings like mermaids and horses and shinigami actually roam the Earth. Others still where Pokemon never evolved, and some where psychics like us do not and cannot exist."

Sabrina was thinking he was crazy, but now he had just confirmed it for her. Unless....unless he really _could_ read that plaque....

"Just stop," Sabrina said. "No matter what you intend to do, I will-."

"I'm going to see it all!" Will said, no longer caring what she had to say. "And when I'm done I will be the most powerful man the world has ever seen! Hahahaha!"

And with that, he opened his left hand. It was sparking with electricity, but that was not what Sabrina was interested in. In his palm, there was a piece of metal. It was yellowish in colour-not gold, but nothing she had seen before. It was the colour of an Alakazam's skin...and it was glowing.

"Goodbye, Sabrina," Will said, as he disappeared in a flash of white light.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Sabrina fell to her knees, realizing that Will had left. She had assumed that he had no way out, and was just stalling for time....but that wasn't the case. He knew he was getting out of there alive, and was just pleased that she didn't know it.

He just disappeared in a flash of light...._How could someone do that?_ she thought to herself, as the moment replayed itself over and over in her head. By this time there was no doubt in her mind what that Toraifosu was capable of....but still....allowing travel to different universes? Was that even possible?

She scanned the room for the first time, now that she was alone. It was still lit up by a series of torches on the walls, possibly placed there by Will. It was still fairly cold in the underground temple, but nothing she couldn't handle. Getting back up to her feet, Sabrina walked slowly over to where Will had been just moments earlier. All that remained was a single black rose, much like the one she had found in Bill's Goldenrod home.

But no, that wasn't all that he had left behind....on the walls, she could make out points where Will had brushed off the frost. He was obviously looking for something, and he had obviously found it. But still...where was it?

Going to the nearest wall, Sabrina ran her palm across the brushed off area, looking for whatever it was Will had found; nothing. She checked another patch, just below one of the torches; again, nothing. After a few tries at this, she finally got her result.

There was a section of stone in the wall that was unlike any other. It was a slightly darker black colour then the ones around it, and it seemed to be smoother. Sabrina placed her hand onto it, and pushed inward. The rock went into the wall, acting just as a button. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but after a moment, she began to feel the temple shaking from beneath her feet. It felt almost as if she was caught in the middle of an earthquake.

The next thing she knew the floor gave way, and she began falling. Everything went black.

***********************

Sabrina opened her eyes.

Her last memories quickly began rushing into her mind. Will disappearing before her eyes. The ground shaking, and finally collapsing. And now her she was.

It was too dark for her to see anything anymore, but she could tell she was far underground-much further than she had been before. She could sense that her left arm was hurt, but not too severely. She was otherwise fine, which was a miracle given the circumstances.

Getting onto her feet, she reached around for her poke balls. "Hoshi, which one is you?" she said, running her fingers over each one. Finally, she found the correct one and the Starmie rematerialized. She didn't even need her to tell her what to do, as it's jewel began to shine the moment it has rematerialized.

The moment it had, Sabrina had wished that it hadn't.

For what was in the room was nothing like she had ever seen, and more than she ever wanted to see. There were human bodies, most of which were deduced to skeletons. All presumably suffering the same fate as she had. But despite all of this, Sabrina didn't scream at the sight. Rather, she stayed calm, keeping her cool. What she had to do was figure out what Will had done, and how to find him again. She assumed that Will had also been down there, but she wasn't certain.

Looking closer at the skeletons, she began to see something strange. What she noticed was the vast majority of people there: quite a range of clothing styles, visible weapons, and other personal objects.

Walking over to one, she noted his old-styled garments, with what seemed to be a green fishing jacket. She also noticed the headband, which had a symbol of what appeared to be an elm leaf imprinted on it. Next to him was another man, also reduced to bones. But this one was different. He was wearing a blue camouflage uniform, that had the words "U.S. Navy" written on it in big yellow letters. While she couldn't think of any nations symbolized with the elm, she had heard of the "U.S." As she recalled it stood for "United States," which was the name of one of the former countries of the North American continent, just to the south of Canada. And next to him was yet another man, dressed head-to-toe in thick armour, with a rusty old sword blade next to him which would have been quite the sight in its day.

It seemed impossible that they had had all gotten there from Snowpoint Temple. No, there had to be something sinister involved here, Sabrina thought. She considered that it could have been Will's doing, but that theory didn't fall through. For one thing, these people still had all of their weapons, and their bodies didn't seem to be deformed in any way.

She was about to inspect the American more closely, but she suddenly felt a wave of persona drift through herself. She wasn't alone!

She immediately began running towards the source, wondering how she hadn't noticed the presence earlier. It was almost as if someone had just appeared out of nothing....

Finally, she reached a large cavern. It was about as wide across as her gym, though just half as long. It was also lit up with a ring of torches, very much like the ones she had found with Will. But in someway different all the same.

And in the middle of the cavern was not a person, but a Pokemon. And not like any she had seen before. It was a small white creature with what seemed like Buneary ears, only longer and floppier. It was also slightly chubbier, and with a red jewel planted in the middle of its forehead. It was the kind of creature some people would consider "cute."

"Puu!" it suddenly cried out. "We have a visitor!"

Much to her surprise, the Pokemon spoke her language! "Who are you?" she asked it, wondering if it'd answer.

"I'm Mokona!" the thing, which she was wondering if it was even a Pokemon anymore, cried out. It seemed way to cheerful to be in a place full of death, she thought to herself. It reminded her of Candice in a way.

But as she thought it, she realized that there didn't seem to be any skeletons where she was now. Just a wide collection of objects scattered about, of varying sizes and functions. And just like the skeletons, there were some that she recognized and others that she didn't. For instance, there was an old pick-up truck to one corner, with a shattered windshield and aired out tires. She could make out a faded out license plate, which she recognized as being from Kanto. But lying beside it was what she knew as Viking's helmet, except for the fact that it was just as large as the truck was!

"This is Xanadria," Mokona said, answering her second question. "This is the place where souls go after they leave the land of the living. Puu!"

Sabrina felt a wave of suspicion from the creature's statement, he mind going back to the Snowpoint Temple crumbling floor. But no, she knew she was alive. This Mokona was a liar.

"Hehe, just kidding. Puu!" it cried out, with an idiotic grin on its face. Then, the grin dissipated as Mokona grew more serious-as serious as a chubby Buneary with a jewel on its head could look. "This is the land between worlds. You, Sabrina, have been chosen to help restore balance to the multiverse."

Before she could give a response, the scenery suddenly changed. Instead of being in an underground cavern, she found herself in....a library. It was an older building, probably built in the early twentieth century. The walls were not painted, and instead showed the natural varnish of the wood. The room she was in was about the size of a school classroom, with aisles of books going as far as the ceiling.

It didn't seem to be a public library, as nobody was around besides her and the Mokona, who was now perched in a nearby window. Outside of the window, Sabrina could see that it was raining-so much that she couldn't make out much of what was outside.

Between her and this window there was a small study-table, which had several books placed on it. Of the ones written in languages she understood: _Fundamentals of Alchemy, The Nature of Chakra, I Am America (And So Can You!), The Art of Waterbending, Quest for the Rio Poneglyph, The Little Mermaid, & Death Note._ The latter seemed to be the one in the least good shape, but it also appeared to be the most ominous. She opened the book and began to read the first page-

But Mokona chose that time to hop on the table, causing her to close the book and step back in surprise. Once again it had a serious look on its face.

It then began to tell Sabrina a story of its own.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_The next morning_

Sabrina opened her eyes.

"Miss, are you all right?"

Getting readjusted to the lights, Sabrina took a look at who was speaking to her. It was a woman with blue eyes and long braided black hair. She had on an unbuttoned jacket over a white blouse and a pair of jeans. And she had a genuine look of worry on her face.

Sabrina was lying in the snow propped up against a tree, in the middle of what she assumed was the forest north of Snowpoint City. She felt a sharp pain coming from the side of her arm, but she didn't think it was too serious. And she was finally awake from that insane dream.

"Miss?" the woman said again.

"Yes, I'm all right," Sabrina said to her, as she got up. And as she did so, she got a better look at the woman's face....

"...Candice?"

"Yes," Candice said. "Do you know me?"

Sabrina looked puzzled. "We met yesterday in the Pokemon Centre, remember? You told me how to get to the Snowpoint Temple." Candice should have remembered that. It was only the previous night.

But what puzzled her the most was her next statement. "Pokemon....what's that? Never heard of it. You must have me mistaken with someone else."

Sabrina looked a little befuddled after hearing that. She took one more good look at the woman and decided that she was, in fact, the Snowpoint City gym leader. But for some reason, she didn't know what a Pokemon was.

_"There are countless realities out there, Sabrina....where Pokemon never evolved...."_

Was it possible....could it be....that everything she had experienced the past night was more than just a dream?

"Candice, how far are we from Snowpoint City?" Sabrina suddenly asked the woman before her.

"Snowpoint City?" Candice repeated the name, chuckling a little. "Who'd ever name a city that? Are you sure you're all right?"

***********

Candice took Sabrina to her home, which was just a small hike through the forest. Apparently the name of the community was Wakkanai, and it, much like Snowpoint City, was the northernmost city on its island. However, instead of Sinnoh, the island was called _Hokkaido._

"Hokkaido," Sabrina repeated the name, sipping a cup of cocoa. She was now sitting in Candice's living room, wrapped in a warm blanket. She didn't think she was cold when outside, but upon coming in, she suddenly realized that she was freezing.

"You seriously haven't heard it called that before, Sabrina?" Candice asked, looking a little puzzled herself now. "Where are you from, anyways?"

By this time Sabrina was convinced that she had to be in a different world, though whether it was the same one that Will had traveled to, she had no idea. What she needed to do was find out more about where she was.

"I'm from....Kanto," she said, wondering if the name sounded as crazy as 'Snowpoint' or 'Sinnoh' to Candice.

But apparently it didn't. "Quite a way from home then," Candice responded. "What was a girl from Kanto doing out in the forest by herself, eh? Or were you out with your boyfriend when you got separated?"

Before she could answer, a Pokemon-or something that seemed to be-strolled into the room. It looked a lot like a Persian, but it was smaller, and a little furrier. It was also a different colour, being pure white except for four black tipped feet and one ear. "Amazing," Sabrina said. "What is that creature?"

"What, you mean Glacia?" Candice said, laughing. "She's a kitty, silly." With that, the 'kitty' ran towards Candice and hopped into her lap. Candice rubbed the creature behind the black tipped ear. "What, you don't have kitties in Kanto?" she asked, still laughing.

"No," Sabrina said, getting up. "Listen, Candice. Thank you for helping me to your home, but I'd really must be going now." Then, without another word, she got up and began heading for the door.

_This was getting too bizarre,_ Sabrina thought to herself. She was in a different universe, she had already accepted that fact. It was a world where Pokemon apparently had never evolved, and instead humans had creatures called 'kitties.' Furthermore, it seemed like the people in this world were very similar to those she knew back home. The Candice she had spoken to the night before was quite different from the one she had just met, but they were still the same person.

She wondered if there was another Sabrina in this world....or another Will.

"Anything is possible," she said to herself, leaving the house. It was still cold, but she was back within the city-limits of Snowpoi....Wakkanai. It looked so similar in many regards, and yet it was not the same place. Just overhead she saw a flock of birds flying to the south. They were not Pidgey or Starly....they were a species she had never even seen before.

Making her way further into the community, she began seeing several other creatures, none of which she recognized. Soon, she stopped looking for them. Instead, she looked at the people, going about their daily lives just as those in Snowpoint. The one major difference she felt is that this was not a Gym town like Snowpoint, and it was devoid of skilled Pokemon trainers. But then again, it was devoid of Pokemon....

What she did look for was a newspaper. She had found a small convenience store which sold papers, and she went to purchase one.

After handing the man the money, she noted that he began to look a little peeved. "What is this?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Sabrina looked at the Pokedollars she had given him, finally cluing in on the problem. "That is the correct currency for your world," she said, waving her hand over the man's face. The man looked confused for a second, but he then left her alone.

Leaving the store, Sabrina looked at the paper's cover story: "Hilary Clinton defeats John McCain." The story went on to say that these were the two candidates in the recent U.S. election, thus implying that the United States still existed in this world. So it was quite possible that Team Oliga had never come into power there in the first place.

But as interesting as that was, it was not what she was looking for. There had to be something in there about Will, some clue as to whether he was in that world, and/or a hint as to what he might be up to. Scanning the paper from end to end, she did find out some peculiar information. For one thing, she found no reference of Team Rocket whatsoever, possibly meaning that they existed under a different name, or were non-existent altogether.

Reading another article, Sabrina realized that not only was the United States still around, but the Soviet Union as well. It had apparently won the space race in the fifties, when Yuri Gagarin became the first human to set foot on the moon. The article was speaking of the Soviets' latest Mars exploration probe, which was due to arrive in a month. And while again interesting, Sabrina wasn't looking for things like that.

Then finally, she flipped to a page talking about some national hero, who apparently hadn't been showing her face recently. Sabrina nearly wrote it off, until she saw the image of the woman.

She was a young girl with blue eyes and blonde hair that pigtailed all the way down to her knees. She wore what looked like a sailor's uniform with a pink bow, and a short blue skirt with another bow on the back. But what Sabrina noticed more was the woman's tiara, which appeared golden, but wasn't quite as bright. And it appeared to have a slight sparkle to it.

She wasn't certain, but it was definitely possible. And more than anything she knew Will may have deduced the same thing: this "Sailor Moon," as she called herself, could very well be the one he was looking for.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

*********

"Azula."

She was sitting in the corner of the room, scrunched up as much as she could muster. She was in a straight jacket, barely able to move. Her beautiful long hair had been shaved off to prevent her from strangling herself with it She also had a white mask over her lower face which prevented her from breathing fire. She looked rather pathetic the way she was, but Zuko knew more than anything how dangerous that that woman could be.

She looked up at the man who had entered the room: Zuko, her little brother. Thick black hair, with a red scar going over the majority of the left side of his face. He was wearing an auburn cloak with yellow trimmings and belt around his waist. She had wondered why the temperature of her room has recently been risen to suitable levels; now she knew the answer.

"Azula," Zuko said again. "Can you hear me?"

She did not answer. He didn't think that she would, but he had to try.

"Azula," he said for a third time, looking for the slightest twitch of the eye that would give away the answer that never came. "I've come to ask you a question about mom."

*********

Zuko opened his eyes.

He was looking up into the sky, where he could see green trees overhead.

He was lying on a bench in the middle of a park, unsure of where he was or how he got there. Looking around, he could see there were several people around, going about their business. But they looked surprisingly different from anyone he had met before.

He looked at one man who walked past him, alone, talking to himself. Or rather, talking to a small object that he had pressed up against his face.

Then to a young woman coming from the opposite direction, jogging. She had a headband which also seemed to cover her ears. And while he wasn't certain, Zuko swore he had heard a faint voice coming from the band.

He immediately began reliving the moments of the past day, and what the creature called Mokona had said....

*********

"The Toraifosu has been sealed away throughout the multiverse," Mokona said, seeming fairly serious for once. It hopped over to the _The Art of Waterbending_ book, as it continued its story. "For it was considered too powerful to allow one person to have it in his possession. We had not predicted that one day, someone would have obtained the ability to travel between worlds as we do."

"But now there is someone," Zuko said, assuming he knew where this was going.

Mokona nodded, again way too seriously for a stupid ball of fluff. "Our greatest fears have now come into being," it continued, while continuing using words like 'we' and 'our.' Zuko still wasn't sure if Mokona was one of several of its kind, or if it was just a brat who referred to itself in the third person. But either way, he knew the truth of its words.

"We are unable to do anything but allow you passage between these worlds," Mokona said. "My kind was once as great as yours, Zuko. However, my world is also inhabited by a species known as 'high school girls.' They are vicious creatures who would hunt my kind for amusement, yelling things like "SUGOI!" and "KAWAII!"...Anyways, the point is we are very few now, Puu!"

Zuko rubbed his head, once again wondering if it was telling the whole truth.

"We have chosen five individuals, including yourself, to prevent these people from using the Toraifosu's power...."

*********

Zuko left the park and ventured out the city, which he had determined to be called "Gotemba." He had few ideas of what he had to do, but if he took Mokona's words at face value, he figured he wouldn't have far to look. _Just wait for the screams,_ he thought to himself.

But at the moment, he was now just gazing at the world he was in, somewhat dumbfounded. The buildings rose to levels so high that it made his palace seem like nothing in comparison. And besides that, he could see that while there were still a large amount of people walking as he was, there were several large wheeled vehicles which seemed to carry either people or other commodities.

He was obviously in one of the alternate realities that Mokona was speaking above, as while many things seemed completely alien to him, other things were oddly familiar. Looking out on the city's horizon, he saw a mountain, rising much higher than anything around it. It was undoubtedly the Fire Nation volcano that his palace had been built around; however, there was no palace at the mountain he was looking at. Just a beautiful, snow-peaked volcanic mountain surrounded by forest. He had to admit that it looked much better without the development that was present in the Fire Nation version.

After some more exploration, Zuko eventually found himself at something that he had seen before, though not in the Fire Nation. It was a train station, much like those which he had traveled on in the Earth Kingdom. However, these trains seemed to be more advanced, as they seemingly did not require the assistance of Earth-Bending to move. _Amazing,_ Zuko thought to himself. _If I can find out how these people do this, I could introduce it to my world._

But that would have to wait, and he knew it. He was not there for sightseeing, after all. Looking to the charts listing where the trains were headed, Zuko looked for the name that he had heard back home....

*********

"What do you know about what happened to her, Azula?" He had a rather stern look on his face by now.

Azula finally acknowledged him, by letting out a laugh from behind her mask. But that was all that he got from her.

Zuko knelt down so he could look at her face-to-face. Their eyes locked, and Zuko could see the hatred within her, almost as if she would burst into flames if she had to stay in that room for another moment. But more than that, he could see the coldness that had got her in that cell to begin with.

"Look, you may hate me," Zuko said to her. "But I don't care about that. As far as I'm concerned I don't have a sister anymore, Azula. Now, you can decide to remain quiet and stay in this cell for the rest of your life....or you could help yourself, by helping me. Get into a better place, where you can still-"

He stopped, as Azula put her head down and turned towards the wall. She didn't say a word, but he knew what she meant: she had no intention of helping him, and she couldn't care less about what had happened to her mother.

Zuko stood up, disappointed. Without another word, he stepped out of the room, and closed the door behind him. "Put the temperature back down," he said, looking to one of the nurses. She nodded to him as she began to do so.

Despite all that she had done to the world, and to him specifically, Zuko couldn't help but feel sorry for what his sister had become. Even sitting in there in shackles, he could sense the monster within. There was definitely no way that she was going to-

BAMMM!!

Zuko spun around, as he saw the flaming metal door crash into the wall. It then fell down to the floor with another bang, as the flames settled, filling the hallway with smoke.

Zuko's eyes widened as he watched the events unfold. And as a lone woman stepped into his range of vision.

The straight jacket fell to the floor in flames, giving her full movement of her arms again. Her clothing had all been burned off of her, though thanks to the smoke one could only make out her face. Her face, which was now maskless, showing off her evil smile.

"Zuzu," she said. "Or is it Fire Lord Zuzu now?" she added, laughing hysterically. "What kind of joke is that? You leading the Fire Nation?"

She laughed again. "I do owe you my thanks though, Zuzu. I was slowly building up my strength in that cell, you see. But I wasn't sure if it was enough. But then you come in for an unexpected visit, just out of the goodness of your heart," she said with a laugh. "And the fine people who work here," she added with a snicker. "They wouldn't have their Fire Lord in that freezer, oh no! So they turned up the heat, thus guaranteeing my escape!"

Zuko was speechless. He had no idea she was that keen on escaping. Though he doubted she could get too far, what with all of the nations' forces on _his_ side now.

Finally deciding to speak, Zuko looked to the monster that was his sister. "That's a nice story, really," he said, trying to remain calm. _What are my guards doing?_ he thought to himself. "But how far do you expect to go, Azula? By now this place should be surrounded. You have nowhere else to go but back in that-."

It was then that he felt the wave of electricity come his way. He prepared himself as it came his way, stopped it in mid-air, and sent it shooting towards the nearest wall. A flame then began to erupt from his hand, as he sent a stream of fire in Azula's direction.

But to his surprise, it never made it to her. Instead, it was absorbed into a field of electricity that was now enveloping her body. As Zuko stood there amazed, her body began to rise off the floor, as her eyes seemed to become engulfed in fire.

"I don't intend to leave through the doors, Zuzu," she said, now apparently calm, yet seemingly distant. It sounded as though he were listening to someone from behind a wall, despite the fact that she was right in front of him. "And don't try to follow me," she added. "As if you could, little brother. This'll probably be the last time we meet, Zuzu. But if fate is on your side and you find me, and you want to lose to me fairly, just remember one thing."

And with that, the blue aura about her grew blindingly bright, as Zuko was forced to close his eyes as he heard her words.

"All roads eventually lead to Tokyo."

He opened his eyes again, looking to where Azula had been. But there was nothing there. She was gone.

*********

"Tokyo, 15:03."

To his surprise, there it was. The place that Azula had mentioned. At the time he had been unsure about what she had meant, as in fact it was probably the first time he felt she she had been sincere with him. And now, there it was, written before his eyes.

He didn't what was in store for him there, but he knew it was where he had to go. Whether he would meet any of the others Mokona had mentioned there, he did not know. But what he did know was that if Azula was in this place, that's where she would be. Tokyo....


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Tokyo, Japan_

Finally arriving the Kanto region, Sabrina had went found her way to what she knew as Saffron City. However, in her current reality, it was just a part of a larger city known as _Tokyo_. The name "Kanto" was about the only thing that resembled the place that she called home.

Ironically, her "home" was where she expected to find this Sailor Moon person. According to a book that she had bought on the way from Hokkaido, Sailor Moon was mostly seen in Tokyo, and she rarely made an appearance elsewhere. Sabrina reasoned that this was for one of two reasons: either this city had the largest potential for crime in the nation, and/or that Moon was living close by. And while Sabrina wasn't certain about Will being in the city, or that Moon was his target if he was, her intuition told her that that was the case. That tiara....it reminded her of the Toraifosu the moment she saw it....and as this woman did have amazing power, it was logical to assume that this was more than just a coincidence.

She also had Mokona's words on here mind...._We have chosen five individuals, including yourself, to prevent these people from using the Toraifosu's power...._ So, besides Will, there were at least four other people in the universe that didn't belong. How she was supposed to find them, Mokona didn't say. However, she was confident that her abilities would be able to help her in that regard.

Deciding to get a bite to eat before continuing further, Sabrina entered a restaurant in the Juban area of the city. By the looks of it, it resembled Cerulean City, but like everything in this world, that meant nothing.

_At least they still have spaghetti,_ Sabrina thought as she placed her order. Normally she would have let her Natu out to have a look around, but seeing as Pokemon did not exist there, she decided to let her stay in her poke ball a little longer.

She had only gotten a few mouthfuls in when she began to sense an odd presence in the room. Glancing around, she noticed a blonde boy who seemed to be abnormally powerful. She would have questioned him further, but her attention soon went to a young woman.

She was in her late teens, it seemed, and she was quite beautiful. She had bright blue eyes, and long blonde hair that fell near her knees, with a big red bow at the top. And she was wearing a Sailor suit with a blue skirt, almost exactly like the outfit she had seen Sailor Moon wearing in the paper. And she wore small black shoes with white stockings. But most of all, Sabrina could sense some power about her: a power that she could not describe in words, but knew was there nonetheless. _Could this be Sailor Moon?_ Sabrina thought to herself.

She seemed to be alone, so Sabrina thought it would be a good chance to have a word with her. Though she was not exactly the best when it came to socializing, and she realized that she couldn't just ask her if she was Moon. From what she understood, Sailor Moon had a secret identity, just like her world's Spinarak-Man. But alas, she had no time for that. If this was in deed the Sailor Moon in the news article, she was in great danger.

She was about to wave the woman over, but at the very moment, the restaurant's power went out. Sabrina stopped eating, and looked outside into the street. She hadn't noticed before, but it had begun to rain. Harder than anything she had seen in Cerulean City, for sure. It was still early in the afternoon, but it seemed as dark as night out there. Then....

CLASH!!!

Without warning, the glass in the windows all shattered, sending many shards of glass flying in towards the horrified customers.

Sabrina acted as quickly as she could, jumping to her feet and aiming her hand at the wall. A purple aura oozed from it as she concentrated on that glass. Concentrated as they stopped in midair, as though getting stuck in an invisible glue. Sabrina then crunched her hand into a fist, as all that glass turned to dust, falling harmlessly to the floors and tables below.

The people in the restaurant, more concerned for their safety than Sabrina's abilities, began running for cover as the rains blew inside. She could hear screaming from every direction, though nothing came from her. She remained where she was, curious and expressionless.

As for the woman she had seen, she was no longer there, and neither was the boy she had seen before. So instead, Sabrina looked to the outside, at what could have caused it. She didn't even have a window seat, and she could feel the soft mist from the rain patting her cheeks, as the harsh winds blew her hair back. And closer to the windows, things were completely drenched. She noted a woman's purse that had been left at a table, already overflowing with rainwater. This was a monsoon if she had ever seen one.

But....she then began to make out a lone figure out in the street. Not a human, she was sure of that. Standing at about five feet tall, it was a pink creature with a dopey look on its face. It stood on it's hind, monster-like legs, with two three-clawed limbs at its side. But what Sabrina noticed the most was its tail, which was covered by a giant shell that she knew to be a Shellder.

A Slowbro!

Sabrina looked at the Pokemon, almost certain that it was not a native species to the universe. She smiled inwardly, as she leapt out of the restaurant's window and into the street. Upon doing so, she felt the water striking her hair, soon soaking her from head to toe. _I've found you, Will,_ she said to herself, caring nothing about the weather, as she reached for one of her poke balls. "Go, Hoshi!" she shouted as the starfish Pokemon materialized in the nearly submerged street.

"Crescent Beam Shower!"

Sabrina looked to where the sound had come from. Standing in the middle of the street, there was the woman from earlier. Her long hair was completely drenched, though the bow had managed to stay in place. Her stockings, however, had disappeared and she now wore a pair of orange heels. As for the Sailor suit, it now had an orange collar with a heart-shaped broach and a shorter skirt of the same colour. In addition to that, she had a pair of white gloves with orange ends, and a glowing, gold-like tiara. Just like Sailor Moon's....

Sabrina didn't know how she did it, but she struck as cute a pose as she could muster under the circumstances, and aimed her left arm at the Slowbro before her. Sabrina watched in awe as the tip of her hand began to glow, as a brilliant stream of light shot outwards. Before Slowbro could even think about thinking to move, this light had broken into several dozen other streams of light, as they struck the Pokemon head on.

But nothing happened.

The woman in the Sailor suit seemed shocked, but Sabrina knew better. "Just wait a minute," Sabrina called out to her.

And then, just as predicted, the Slowbro let out a loud screeching sound as it fell to the ground with a thump. Powerful as the attack was, Slowbro's kind still took pathetically long to feel pain.

At the very moment that the Pokemon's eyes rolled back as it fell unconscious, Sabrina could feel the rain stop. She looked up, smiling as she felt the warm sun's rays shine down on her face. Even though she was in a different universe, the sun was still the sun.

She then looked to the woman standing next to her. "Sailor Moon, I presume?" she asked. "I have been looking for you. Please, listen to what I have to say."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The rain had stopped as swiftly as it had began, and the sky had returned to the bright blue colour that it usually was. Minako thought that it seemed odd that such a downfall would have occurred naturally. So it had to have been that thing she had defeated....

Minako looked to the creature that was now lying still on the side of the road. It was obviously an animal of the seas, though Minako still could not recognize the species. The other, star-shaped creature was still conscious, but it was not causing any trouble. It seemed to be under the control of the woman who had released it from a small red and white ball.

That woman turned to her and told her to listen to her story. She then began to explain that she believed that Sailor Moon's life was in danger, and that the creature that was just defeated-which she called a 'Slowbro'-was connected to this fact.

"I believe the Slowbro's trainer is looking for you, Sailor Moon," she said. "You possess extraordinary abilities as I have just witnessed, but it may not be enough to stop him."

"Hold on," Minako responded. "First off, I'm Sailor _Venus_, and just who are you anyway-?"

_Clap, clap, clap...._

Footsteps on the pavement, coming from behind her.

"Will," the other woman said. Minako could sense some deep emotion in her voice, be it disgust, hate, or something completely different, she did not know. She did not even have to tell her; Minako knew that this was the man she spoke of.

He was of average height, probably in his twenties. He was wearing a black tuxedo, with a red bow tie which seemed to be out of place on the outfit. He had wavy purple hair, a pair of wicked looking black eyes, and a scary-looking grin. But that was all of the face that she saw, as the rest was concealed behind a mask which almost seemed to be a deeper black that the tux. And like the woman she had met earlier, he had a red and white ball in his hand. He pressed the side of it with hit finger, and aimed it at the fallen Slowbro. The moment he did the creature vanished from sight, apparently dematerializing into the ball.

"Well, well, well," he said, repeatedly tossing the ball up into the air as he spoke. He seemed to be enjoying himself, Minako thought. "I never thought that you'd follow me this far, Sabrina. I'd love to know how you did it, honey."

The woman, whom Minako now knew as Sabrina, began glowing an intense purple colour as she rose from the ground. The look on her face now was unquestionably pure hatred.

"Don't you EVER call be honey!" she snapped, rage emanating from her voice.

Will laughed. "Haha, calm down little girl," he said. "You aren't the one I'm after."

He then turned to Minako. "And neither are you, young lady. However, you may know where to find the one I do wish to find. So, why don't you be a nice girl and tell me where Sailor Moon is?"

So Sabrina was right about one thing, and that was that this man was out for Sabrina. And Minako had a fairly good idea that his intentions were far less than honourable.

"Well, what shall it be?" Will asked her, almost as if he was asking for a simple favour. His right hand was now glowing a deep shade of yellow, as actual sparks began flying from it.

Minako backed away, unsure of what the man was planning. She looked to the woman next to her, who had turned to face her. "You consider this Sailor Moon to be a dear friend of yours, do you not? Then do not tell him what he wants to know."

"I have no intention of it," Minako responded, looking back to Will. "You want Sailor Moon? You're going to have to first go through me, Soldier of Love and Beauty, Sailor Venus!"

"And me," Sabrina said, as a dark sphere began to form over her right hand. "You've had enough fun for today, Will." With that, Sabrina widened her eyes as the sphere swiftly left her hand, heading in a straight path towards him.

Despite it happening in a matter of seconds, Will was able to dart out of the way, avoiding the impact completely. The sphere continued on its course, which was finally broken by a parked SUV. The dark matter passed right through the vehicle, before exploding in a wave of light. Will ducked as a muffler went flying over his head, eventually clattering on the pavement below.

Will brushed the dust off of his pants, getting back up on his feet. He looked at Sabrina, seemingly annoyed that she had went that far. But that was his first mistake, as who he should have been looking at was Minako.

With Sabrina's attack causing the distraction, she had made her way to behind Will. Crossing her arms over her chest, she began channeling some energy of her own. Her long blonde hair shot upwards as series of golden beads began circling her body. She then rose her right arm, making the sign for love with her hand.

"Venus...Love-Me...CHAIN!"

Aiming her hand at the now unprepared Will, she released a stream of golden light, exponentially more powerful than that which had taken out the Slowbro.

Will was unable to avoid it, taking the full force of the attack as his entire body began to quiver, radiating with yellow-green light. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest in pain as he screamed in what could almost be described as a demonic howl.

But then....zzzZZZAAAPP! A nearby electrical line began surging with power, as it snapped under the unseen pressure. And as it did so, it flew in Will's direction.

As Sabrina and Minako watched in shock, horror, and utter amazement, Will's body became covered with electrical energy, as the power from the wires seemed to flow straight into him. He spread his arms wide, laughing hysterically as the final bolts struck his masked face.

"Hahahaha! What power, what strength!" he cried out, now looking Minako straight in the eyes. "You aren't just a pretty face, are you! That really hurt, you know!"

Minako stood speechless as the man got back up on his feet. After taking her attack full on, he was still able to stand firmly. She had never seen anyone like him before, in all her days as a Sailor Scout.

"Too bad Slowbro was out of commission, or I'd put on quite the show for you ladies," he said with mock remorse. "But either way, I've had enough fun with you." Then, turning to Sabrina. "It's nice seeing you again....honey," he said, enjoying the look that the word gave the woman's face. "But I have other things to do now. So....see you later!"

A moment later, and he had vanished in a bolt of lighting. All that remained was a singed chunk of pavement, and a single, black rose.

Sabrina walked over to the flower, crushing it with her shoe. She seemed oddly calm to Minako, but she believed her mind to be on fire at the moment.

Turning to face her, Minako could see tears coming from her eyes. "He was faking it," she said. "That attack of yours hurt him, Venus. There's no mistaking that. He would have killed us otherwise...."

She paused for a moment, looking towards the setting sun. "He's left to recover, I'm sure of it." With that, she took out another one of those red and black balls, pressing the centre of it as she had seen Will do earlier.

Another creature appeared before Minako, which like the Slowbro she had never seen before. It was feline in form, but bigger than a house cat. It adorned a light purple coat of fur, with a thin tail which separated into two near the end. Its eyes were bigger than a normal cat's, and seemed to be filled with amazing intelligence. And in the centre of its forehead, there was a single red gem-like image, causing Minako to think of the similar marking on Artemis.

"Espeon," Sabrina said to the feline, who obviously knew what her master was saying. "I need you to search the city for Will. He mustn't have went far with his injuries, and it's best we find him before he finds us."

The 'Espeon' nodded its head, and vanished in an instant. It hadn't teleported, but was rather running at insane speeds.

And in the meantime," she added, with more conviction in her voice as she faced Minako. "Take me to see Sailor Moon."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Rina opened her eyes.

She was at ocean's bottom, that was certain. She seemed to be close to land, as she could still see the light of moon from above the waves. But other than that, she didn't know where she was.

Clutching her necklace, she confirmed that her green pearl was still present within its shell. Relieved at that, she gave her sea green mermaid tail a kick as she began swimming for the surface. And as she did so, the moments of the past day began flooding her thoughts....

***********

Rina was back home in the North Atlantic. She hadn't been to Japan in about a month, but it seemed like years to her. She didn't really admit it at first, but she soon realized that she loved it there. She had made some good friends there, and she had a difficult time when she was forced to leave them....

But those thoughts would be out of her mind that day, as she would finally be seeing Hanon and Lucia again. They were off for summer break, and had sent the message that they would be going to her country for that time.

***********

Rising her head above the water's surface, Rina looked for any signs of land. However, there were none, making her no more knowledgeable than when she was on the seabed. But she could see seagulls flying overhead, meaning that there had to be some land nearby.

Diving back beneath the surface, Rina began swimming in the direction the birds were flying.

***********

"Rina!"

There they were, right before her eyes.

To the left, Hanon, the Mermaid Princess of the South Atlantic Ocean. Her cyan tail glistened in the palace's artificial light, as did her similarly coloured hair, flowing gracefully to the ground below. She had two distinct yellow stars in her bangs, along with wide eyes and a grin on her face, expressing how happy she was to see her old friend.

And to the right, Lucia, Mermaid Princess of the North Pacific Ocean. Her pink tail, making it obvious where she reigned, was kicking slightly as she came over. Her golden-coloured hair was in pigtails, with each half falling all the way to the ground. Like Hanon, the expression on her face was filled with happiness.

Before Rina could say anything, Lucia had embraced her in a hug. "We've missed you, Rina," she said, in a tone that made Rina think that she was about to cry. "It's not the same without you around."

Rina smiled, a little surprised at how she was taking it. "I'm sure you two have been fine without me."

"It's not that," Hanon, who was now hugging Rina as well, said. "The three of us have always been together in the human world. Now...now it's just Lucia and me."

"So, has Lucia been more annoying than usual?" Rina joked.

"Waaah!" the Pink Pearl Mermaid whined. "You're mean, Rina!"

The three suddenly burst out laughing, almost glad to be arguing. For they were together again.

***********

_Hanon, Lucia....we're apart once again. But this time, I don't know where to find you....I don't even know if you're all right...._

Rina was suddenly brought back into the present with the sound of a ship on the water's surface. It looked rather small from beneath the surface, and that didn't change as Rina poked her head above the surface.

It was a small fishing boat, probably able to carry three people at most. There were no nets below the surface, so it had to have finished its job. She figured that it had to be returning to the harbour, which, as she had guessed from the gulls' flight patterns, was in the direction she was swimming.

But what caught her eye the most was the writing on the side: "Warui Itsuki" written in Japanese hiragana. To Rina, this meant only one of two things: either, a small Japanese fishing boat had somehow made it to the North Atlantic, or she was in the Pacific.

***********

"Who is using the Toraifosu's Power?" Rina asked the little white rabbit before her. She was in her human form, standing in a library where she was the only person present. All traces of the previous battle were gone, and now, all that remained were questions.

Mokona hopped over to the book entitled _The Little Mermaid._ "No one in your world has gained the ability to travel between worlds. Yet," it said, kicking open the book and letting it stop at the page it wanted. "There are others, in other worlds, who would stop at nothing to restore the Toraifosu's power. Mokona must stop this, Puu!"

Rina felt like strangling the little critter if it made that noise once more. _Who was to say it hadn't had anything to do with the attack on her palace?_ But regardless, she couldn't deny the thing's power, and she couldn't help but feel the sincerity of the fluff-ball's words.

"We have chosen five individuals, including yourself, to prevent these people from using the Toraifosu's power. Eventually, they will find themselves in your world. And once they do, the past day's events will feel trivial in comparison...."

***********

Rina could see the Tokyo skyline now, noting the Tokyo Tower giving off a brilliant orange shine in the evening light, and Mount Fuji in the distance, still visible as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

But while she had been to the city before, it seemed to be a little different. Nothing major; just a few scenic adjustments. For example, some of the buildings in the centre of the city seemed shorter than as she remembered, and others still were nowhere to be seen. _It may really be an alternate universe like that rice cake said...._ Rina thought to herself.

She was about to head further inland, when the ocean waves carried a message to her ears...."Help...can't...much longer....Help!"

Jerking her head in the direction of the sound, she could make out the water being disrupted, and the image of a man attempting to stay afloat. Without a second thought, Rina was on her way to his aid, swimming towards the man as quickly as she could.

Diving underwater, she could see that he was now unconscious, and sinking fast. His white shirt was ripped, revealing bloody gashes, leading Rina to assume he had been in a fight recently. _But still,_ she thought. _Why out at sea with no ships in sight?_

Putting her questions aside, she kicked her tail once more as she grabbed the man, beginning to make it back to the surface. She had no intention of letting anyone else get hurt while she was around....

***********

The Mermaid Princess' happiness didn't last for long. The three of them had been in the palace for about an hour when it happened.

BAMMM!

An explosive noise shook the palace, sounding like nothing Rina had heard before. She began feeling the reverberations almost immediately, clutching the side of the nearest wall in order to stay upright.

"What happened?" Lucia asked, obviously concerned.

"I don't know," Rina responded, already on her way to the source.

It was the main assembly room, where all of her people would go to gather for special occasions. But today was anything but special....

A large section of the ceiling was now just a giant opening to the ocean above, with large chunks of copper-coloured rubble continuing to sink towards the bottom. And along with it was a....submarine!

It was over 150 metres in length, packing what seemed to be six torpedo tubes, and adorning the red, white, and green flag of the Stati Uniti d'America.

But Rina already knew that while it may have been an American vessel, it would most likely not be an American crew....


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Zoro opened his eyes.

He was lying on the sand, barely able to move. He remembered appearing in the water, unable to swim any further, and with no land in sight. But now here he was, safe and sound-albeit with a nasty headache and a myriad of bruises, but he was alive.

He then focused on the woman sitting over him-the one who had saved his life. "Robin?" he asked, still confused.

But then he stopped himself. _No, it couldn't be Robin,_ he realized. She carried the curse of the Devil's Fruit, and thus she was incapable of swimming. Furthermore, there was another reason why he couldn't be looking at Robin....

*********

The sky was clear, the wind was calm, and there wasn't another ship in sight. All in all a good night.

The Straw Hat Pirates were taking a well-deserved break after their latest adventure, as they came ever closer to the New World. They had spent the day partying, and were now fast asleep, awaiting the dawn of the next day.

Zoro was still up, however. He was up in the crow's nest, keeping an eye out for trouble. And for the last two hours and forty-two minutes, there was none.

He was just getting ready to shut his eyes when he began hearing some footsteps on deck.

It was Robin. Dressed in a violet sweater with similarly-coloured pants, it seemed that she had never gotten to bed either. Her jet back hair was sparkling in the moonlight, as she made her way to the edge of the Thousand Sunny. While she did have a book in her hands, her eyes were not glued to it at the moment. Instead, she was looking out at the horizon, and at the seemingly endless sea.

"Hey, Robin!" Zoro called out, already climbing down the ladder, noting the surprised look on her face. "What're you still doing up?"

Robin smiled. "I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Swordsman. I was sure you'd have been out cold hours ago."

Zoro laughed. "I can hold more booze than that," he said, causing her to let out a chuckle as well.

Before she could say another word, a deafening ring broke through the silence of sea.

Looking towards the source of the sound, Zoro could make out the form of a ship, coming from the east. "But how?" questioned himself. "There wasn't a thing out there...."

"A better question is who," Robin said, closing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest, using her Hana Hana no Mi ability.

Her eyes suddenly darted back open. "It's the Marines!"

*********

She was young, probably in the late teens or early twenties. Her long, seaweed-coloured hair fell all the way to the sandy beach, where she was sitting over him. She was wearing a yellow top with a pair of old blue jeans, which, much like her hair, were completely dry. Zoro could see the concern in her piercing emerald-green eyes, as she spoke to him.

"Are you all right?"

Zoro grunted, as he attempted to sit up. "I've been worse," he said. "I'll be fine."

He then turned to face the green-haired woman. "You're the one who pulled me out of the water, eh?" Taking her silence as acceptance, he continued. "Well, thank you," he said, finally getting to his feet. He cringed ever so slightly, but as he had said, he had been through much worse. His back would be healed within a matter of days.

His heart wouldn't.

"You have a name, miss?" he asked her.

"Um...yes. I'm Rina," she told him, getting on her feet as well. "Rina Toin."

"Well, thank you, Rina," Zoro said. He then looked inland, at the sandy beach and the small range of trees running behind it, and at the city in his wake. Tall skyscrapers as far as the eye could see, with what he could only guess as a volcano in the backdrop.

"What is this place, Rina?" he asked.

"It's called Tokyo," she responded, following his gaze. "The capital of Japan."

"Tokyo...Japan...." Zoro repeated the names, trying to see if he could remember hearing either of them. But he found nothing.

What if....

"You're one of them, aren't you?" Rina asked him, figuring it out as well. "The five warriors who Mokona sent to restore balance to the Toraifosu. You're one of them, aren't you?"

Zoro turned to face her once again, surprised at her words. She seemed so young...so innocent. There was no way that she could be..."How do you...?"

"Because I'm one of them as well."

*********

The little white rabbit who called itself Mokona hopped onto the book titled _Quest for the Rio Poneglyph_, grinning from ear to ear.

"We have chosen five individuals, including yourself, to prevent these people from using the Toraifosu's power...."

"Five people?" Zoro repeated the words. "That's it?"

"For now, Zoro-rin! For now! Your crew wasn't too much larger, and look at all the trouble you've caused! Puu!"

"And look what happened to us!" Zoro cried out, slamming his arms on the table. "Robin's dead!"

*********

The exchanged their past experiences with the talking jelly doughnut, now both certain that they were members of "the five."

Brushing his past worries aside, Zoro decided to concentrate on the present. If there was any way that he could hope to avenge his friends, he had to.

"So...this isn't my world," Zoro said, looking to the stars. While he didn't really gaze at them much before, he could tell that not even they seemed familiar.

"Nor is it mine," Rina replied, looking out to the sea. What she could see out there, Zoro did not know. But he took her word for it. "But the question is, whose world is it? And what is our purpose here?"

"We'll find out soon enough, I guess," Zoro said, clutching his swords. At least he still had them. "Well, I guess we'd better have a look around, see if we can find-."

He stopped, and turned to Rina. "What's wrong?"

"You're heading back into the water," she responded, sweatdropping.

Zoro stopped dead in his tracks, realizing his mistake. "Umm...you lead the way," he said.

There weren't any people on the beach as far as Zoro could see, so it was probably the cold season. He didn't mind, of course, and it was obvious that she didn't either.

"So you're a samurai?" Rina asked him as they walked the beach, motioning toward his swords. "I haven't seen many of you around for awhile," she added with a grin.

"I'm a swordsman," he said. "Soon to be the greatest in the world."

"You mean _your_ world?" Rina interjected solemnly.

That stopped Zoro. It was the first time he truly realized that his world wasn't all that was out there. That there were other places, like the one he was in, and the one this woman was from, where there were many more challengers to his self-proclaimed title.

But instead of responding, he asked another question. "And what are you, Rina?" he asked, looking her over. "I don't see any weapons of any kind on you. What kind of a warrior are you?"

Rina stopped for a moment, seemingly unwilling to answer. "I..." she began. "I am a...-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a feeling of dread washed over both of them, as they began to hear a crackling sound in the breeze.

"What is that?" Zoro asked, knowing very well that Rina was as baffled as he was.

The very air before them began to light up a brilliant yellow colour, teeming with electricity. Rina clapped her hand to her mouth, as she realized what was happening: they were watching a person materialize from pure electric energy.

It only took a matter of seconds before it was finished. Now, in the place of the electrical 'cloud,' was a man. He was not much older than Zoro, though that was their only similarity. He was wearing a black tuxedo, with a red bow tie hanging on his collar. He had wavy purple hair, and only one visible pitch-black eye-the other being concealed behind a black mask that covered most of his face.

"Welcome to the Sailor Moon Universe," he said, obviously knowing whose presence he was in. "I was almost surprised to find out that others have arrived so soon. Could you perhaps tell me how you got here, Miss?" he said, looking to Rina. "Perhaps over a cup of Watmel Berry Juice?" He then bowed, offering his hand to her.

Rina didn't take it.

"Oh, no?" the man said, with mock disappointment. "Well, in that case I guess I could just kill you now. It'd be much easier that way."

Then, without another thought, Zoro reached for his katakana. "Not if I have anything to say with it, it isn't!"

*********

"He's at the beach," Sabrina said. "There are two people with him: a man and a woman. They don't look like any allies of his," she added. "At least not any I know about."

Then, before breaking the visual link with her Pokemon, she spoke to her Pokemon. "Stay out of sight for now if you can, Espeon," she said. "We're on our way."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"Oni Giri!"

Zoro had two of his swords in the form of a cross above his chest, with a third blade actually being held in his mouth. He then began rushing towards the masked man at an amazing speed.

He laughed, almost as if he were watching an infant attempting to walk for the first time, who suddenly fell to his feet. He easily darted out of the way, sending his opponent straight for the tree which had been behind him.

SWOOSH! BANG!

Rina stood there, awestruck. In mere seconds, the tree had been sliced open, and was now lying in pieces on the ground. "Haha, you do have strength, I'll give you that," he said, seemingly a little more serious now that he had seen the man's ability. "But you're going to need more than that to defeat me, Pirate Hunter Zoro."

"Y-you two know each other?" Rina asked, standing off to the side, unable to fight in her current form.

"I've never seen this guy before in my life," Zoro responded, grinning. "If I had, he'd have been dead already." Then, he looked straight at the man. "You want me? Come and get me!"

But the masked man was no longer paying attention. A dark, perilous energy began to encompass the area, as his skin began to glow as bright as the moon. His wavy purple hair was now standing on end, as electrical charges began spouting from all over his body. Getting into a sprinting position, he began charging for Zoro at lightning speed. At this point, Rina could make out his one visible eye, which was an indescribable mixture of blood red and violet.

"Tatsu Maki!"

Zoro turned his back to his opponent, with one sword in each hand pointed to the ground, and yet another being gripped with his teeth. He closed his eyes, seemingly waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Then, as the masked man was within seconds of making contact, Zoro whipped around, raising his swords to combat his opponent. But he did not stop there, as he soon whipped around once again, performing a complete three-sixty. And again, and again...until all Rina could see was a tornadic fury of wind, electricity, and steel.

In the confusion, Rina decided she now had the time to transform herself. Reaching for the shell on her necklace, she opened it, as the pearl within bestowed its power onto her. "Green Pearl Voice!" she shouted, as an array of rainbow-coloured lights began to envelope her body.

By this time, Zoro's attack had come to an end, as Rina watched the masked man fly into the sky, bloody gashes all over his body. It looked like Zoro didn't need her assistance after all, as he seemed to be a powerhouse all on his own.

But then she looked to the ground, at where the swordsman had 'won.'

He was on his knees, seemingly unable to stand. His body was singed beyond compare, as if he had been struck by a thousand bolts of lightning. Which, given the masked man's known abilities, he probably had been.

Now fully transformed, Rina was standing there on the beach in an emerald-green gown, with similarly coloured gloves and shoes. Her spiral shell earrings glistened in the moonlight, helping to reveal the stern look on her face. She was looking to the sky, at the direction the masked man was flying.

He was still up there, but he was now motionless, putting himself in a sitting position even though it seemed to go against all forms of logic. What's more, he no longer seemed to have any injuries. While his clothes remained ripped where Zoro had slashed him, the skin beneath was bare, as though he had never been cut in the first place.

_Just what is this man?_ Rina thought to herself.

"I'm Will," he said, almost as if answering her silent question. "All you need to know is that I am the new God of this world. And you won't be able to do anything to stop me, Rina, Mermaid Princess of the North Atlantic."

Rina's look of sternness quickly replaced itself with a look of shock. Much like the way he seemed to know of Zoro, he knew who she was, and more importantly, _what_ she was.

"Surprised, huh?" he said, laughing. He began lowering his body back toward the ground, right next to Zoro. He was still on his knees, but he hadn't moved a muscle since she saw him last. _Perhaps Will had him under some other attack,_ Rina thought. He was still alive, and as far as she knew, he was still aware of what was going on around him. "I know a lot about you two," he said, turning his gaze to Zoro. "I called him a pirate hunter before, you know. But truthfully, he's just a lowly pirate himself," he added, looking Zoro straight in the face. "He was threatening the well-being of his world, truth be told. So whoever has brought you here has done that world a great favour."

Rina was no longer listening to Will's rants. Whether there was any truth to his words, she did not know. But at the moment, she just didn't care. She just began to sing.

" Nagareboshi ni negai wo kaketa  
Nanatsu no hikari mitsukedashite  
Hanarebanare ni natta JUERII SUTAA  
Unmei to iu kizuna wo shinjiteru "

Will laughed, while Rina continued to sing her song. "I already told you, your song is useless against me. If anything, it's just annoying. I can't believe that actually works where you're from!"

Rina didn't listen.

" Daiji na mono ni kidzuitara kisetsu ga megutta  
Midori no ame ni tsutsumarete utaitsudzukeru Song For You! "

It was too late for him to react when he finally realized what she was up to. He was paying so much attention to the woman before him that he had nearly forgotten about the man beside him. Who, at quite a quick pace, was losing all traces of Will's previous attack.

" Meguriaeru subete no mono ga  
Houseki ni naru kiseki wo shinjïteru "

UMPHFF!

Almost at the exact moment that she let out that last syllable, Zoro, now with complete control over his body again, went in for the kill.

"Ittō-Ryū Iai: Shishi Sonson!"

Placing his sword upright, he unsheathed it, flew past Will in a blur of light, and finally came to a stop, resheathing his sword. And unlike the last time, Will was now the one laying helpless on the beach, in a pool of his own blood.

_But was he beaten?_ Rina thought. She had seen blood the last time, but he had miraculously cured himself from that. But after a minute or so had passed, he was still on his back, and the cuts were still very visible.

But he was still alive. Very much so.

He began to laugh yet again, as though his wounds were meaningless-or perhaps, as though they actually brought him _pleasure_. "Nice," he said. "Very nice." Then, struggling to his feet, he ripped off his bow tie, tossing it to the ground. "You two are perhaps a better team than I thought," he said, breathing heavily. His undershirt was ripped open, revealing a cross-shaped cut in the middle of his chest, and his jacket had tears all along its sides, all stained with blood. But he still managed to stand, as he reached into his left pocket.

"I didn't think I would have to use these, you know," he said, taking out two red and white balls. "So I congratulate you on that. But now, now it ends. Xatu, Gallade, I choose you!"

He pressed a small button on each of the balls, as a wave of multicoloured lights began forming before him. And within a matter of seconds, two creatures had materialized before him.

The first was a bird of some sort, which Rina had never seen before. It was about five feet tall, though its wings made it look larger. It was mostly green in colour, but it had amazing markings all over its body, such as what seemed to be a pair of eyes in the middle of its chest. The wings were mostly white, but had yellow markings near the shoulders, and red and white down on the rims.

The second was more humanoid, though still not human. It had a white lower body, though it was green from the chest upwards. Its arms seemed more like swords than actual arms, and to top it off, its head also sported a blade that Rina expected could do just as much damage, if not more, than any of Zoro's swords. It blinked its two deep red eyes, glaring at the two humans before him.

"Kill them!" Will shouted. "Kill them!"

But before the two could jump to any action, five new figures arrived at the scene.

"Venus Love-Me Chain!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

"..."

There, standing on the beach just beyond where Will was standing, were five women. Four of them were dressed in sailor suits: two with blue skirts, and one each with red and orange, respectively, with their collars, broaches, and shoes all matching these colours.

As for the fifth, she seemed a little older, and also a little wiser. She was the only one who had yet to attack, and thus had remained silent. Her pitch-black hair fell down to her thighs, glistening in the moonlight. She wore a deep red, form-fitting top, and a skirt and pair of boots of the same colour. Her face had an expressionless look on it, though Rina could tell that that meant nothing. She had finally found her opponent, and she did not want him to see the look of satisfaction on her.

"You think you could get away that easily, William?" she said with a sneer. By now not even she could hide her feelings, as her lips curved into the slightest form of a smile.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice. In the name of the moon, I will right wrong and triumph over evil... and that means you!"

Sabrina put her hand over her head, shaking it. _She just had to say that, didn't she?_ Looking down at Will, it looked like he had a new lease of life; like he was child given complete access to a candy store.

"Sailor Moon, huh?" he purred, giving her a once over. "I've been looking for you, my dear."

He then looked around the beach, at his opponents. "Seven on one is a little overkill, don't you think, honey?" He added the last part, knowing what it'd do to her, and loving it at the same time. "But I do have my Pokemon," he added, motioning to the two that were already out of their balls, and standing behind him.

Sabrina did hyperventilate from his words, though in the back of her head she was wondering why he had not made his first attack yet. His target was right in front of him, he knew it, and yet he still did nothing. Was it possible...?

"Xatu, Teleport!"

"Stop him!" Sabrina shouted, but it was already in vain.

*****

Will opened his eyes.

He was no longer on the beach. He was now lying in a bathtub, exhausted from the previous battle, and from using his latest technique. It was the second time he had successfully teleported himself, with the first being the time he left his universe for the next one. While that had taken a substantial amount of energy, teleporting within the same world, as he had just done, took marginally less effort. But it still gave him a nasty headache.

Still dressed, Will turned on the tap, as the warm water began flowing down upon him, washing the blood away. Getting up, he ripped off his upper clothes, tossing them onto the washroom floor. Then, letting the water soak into the wound on his chest, he examined its severity. The pirate hunter had cut deep, but it wouldn't be life threatening. _If only I had realized what that mermaid was doing!_ he thought to himself.

He removed his mask, and let the water run down his face. "No," he said aloud. "What's done is done." He knew he had bigger things to worry about than past ordeals. He had to look ahead, and not behind. But still..._Sailor Moon was right there in front of him! And he...he...was unable to fight._

Getting out of the shower, Will took a good look at himself in the mirror. He was still pretty bruised up, and of course there was that gash in his chest, but he was otherwise fine. His hair was a deeper shade of purple, making it appear almost black, and was completely out of style. He also noticed his non-functioning eye, sitting uselessly in its socket, as grey as dirt.

Reaching for his mask, he once again placed it on his face, covering his eye. That done, he opened the medicine cabinet, looking at the items he had stored there.

Acetaminophen...morphine...adrenaline...pepto bismol....Hyper Potion! He grabbed the product, popped it into a syringe, and injected it into his right arm.

Sitting down on the edge of the tub, he suddenly felt the onslaught of another headache, as he began to feel warm all over his body. He felt his forehead, already seeping with sweat. It felt as though he was touching a Fire Pokemon, it was so hot.

_Not Fire..._ he then thought to himself. _Electric!_

Then...nothing. His forehead was now cool, as though a switch had suddenly been switched in his brain. His head was no longer in agony, and that queasy feeling that has suddenly washed him over was now merely memory.

He held his hand before his functioning eye, looking for any indications that he had regained his abilities. Not noticing anything in particular, he moved his gaze to the lone light in the room. He moved his hand to the left, focusing on the light. Then, much to his pleasure, he heard a faint humming noise as the light lost some of it's power, dimming to just above half of what it was capable of just seconds earlier. Then, clenching his fist, he heard a shattering of glass as the room suddenly disappeared into darkness.

"Hahahaha!" Will began to laugh. "It worked. Sabrina-honey, I'm baaack!"

*****

Will exited the washroom, looking around the rest of his little motel room. The curtains were drawn over the windows, concealing his activities; the bed was propped up against the far wall, never having been slept in; and a television set was lying on its stand, turned off. Though after snapping his fingers, Will had it working once again.

"...President Clinton has recently passed a bill on-"

"...questo episodio è stato portato voi dalla lettera 'H'-"

"...from other planets, alternate realities, and time traveling, in this installment of-"

He muted it. There seemed to be nothing of any interest to him in his pitiful excuse for a reality. But alas, he knew it would be getting better in due time.

Will came to lie in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was smeared with what looked like white putty, which was rather unappetizing to him. Furthermore, he could see some greenish black mold forming from around a nearby exhaust fan. "Yes, it'll all get better soon," he said to himself, as he reached for a notebook he had left on a desk nearby.

It was black, ringed, with about a two centimetres thick of ruled sheets, many of which were dogeared and worn. Rummaging through the book until he found the section on the 'One Piece' universe. Admittedly he did sense that his enemies would have brought someone from that world, though he still couldn't understand why they had chosen Zoro, of all people. According to his notes, he was from a ruthless band of pirates known as the 'Straw Hats,' always causing trouble for the government. What reason Mokona had for using him, he hadn't the slightest. Though regardless of Mokona's intentions or Zoro's reasons for agreeing, the fact remained that he was a formidable opponent. He was working toward becoming the world's best swordsman, and as it seemed to Will, until Zoro returned from whence he came, his goal would already be met.

He then turned to another section, regarding the mermaids, including the one known as Rina. She was the Mermaid Princess of the North Atlantic, as he had assumed. Though what he noted as unique about her universe was that her kind rarely resorted to physical violence. Instead, they were able to get their way in battles thanks to the power that comes from their music-something Will had now experienced first-hand. And while that may be a strength on her home turf, Will felt rather confident in saying it would prove to be a weakness elsewhere. _As long as I don't disregard her abilities again,_ he thought to himself.

Flipping to another part of the book, he saw the notes that he had written about his own world. So far, it was the only reality known to him where Pokemon existed. That itself seemed to be an impossibility, as many other aspects of his homeland were still present where he was now. _Like Mt. Silver,_ he thought. _It's still on the horizon-albeit without a Pokemon League, but there nonetheless._

He noted all the amazing abilities that Pokemon possessed, realizing that they would prove quite useful in his grand scheme. _Even the smallest of Pokemon like Pikachu had the power to sent humans and Pokemon alike blasting off into the sky,_ he thought, as the room's lights began to flicker ever so slightly.

He then turned to a page with some pictures attached. Most were of random trainers whom he'd never seen before or since-but not all, as there was one in particular that caught his eye.

It was of a young woman in her late teens, wearing red. She had long dark hair, and equally dark eyes. However, unlike the one he had seen just an hour earlier, this one was devoid of emotion. That was the purpose of the doll sitting in her lap. It had a long white dress, a similarly coloured dress hat with a big red bow in the middle, and a pokeball in its hands.

That was the encompassment of Sabrina's emotions, ripped from her mind and reanimated into material form. Will had to admit that is was a rather interesting thing to do, if he had shared her ability.

But her ability....Will had seen her in action before, during the championships at the Canadian League Tournament. It was actually then that he believed that she finally began to suspect him. But alas, that was also in the past.

Focusing on the present once again, Will glanced at the television. And to his surprise, there was the one he was looking for!

"...Moon, seen here last year at the G6 summit, has been out of the public's eye in recent days, leading some to speculate that she may have turned in her tiara. Well, that has apparently changed this evening, as we have footage of our warrior of justice just outside the city."

Will watched the footage, surprised to see that someone had gotten their picture. It wasn't on the beach, but rather, further inland, before they had reached him. They had been careless in concealing their activities, it seemed.

Focusing again on what the reporter was saying, he was intrigued to hear that Sailor Moon would be appearing at the upcoming New Year's celebration, two days from then.

"Interesting," he said. "Very interesting...." He figured he would be at full power again by that time, so it seemed like the ideal time to strike. It was almost as if she were _asking_ for it. Will laughed.

"Enjoy your New Year, Sailor Moon, Sabrina-honey," he said to the image on the television screen. "It may very well be your last."

The lights flickered once more, until they were out for good.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

They had been taken to a place called Hikawa Shrine. Zoro was resting, obviously more injured from his fight with Will than he had led the others to believe. Which left Sabrina with five other women to discuss the events of the past night, and what they were planning to do about it.

There was an odd variety of girls in the room, Sabrina noted. First there was Ami, an innocent-looking young lady with indigo coloured hair. She was wearing a light yellow dress with some images of flowers along the bottom. She seemed rather quiet, off in her own world. She had a calculus textbook on the table in front of her, but it was yet to be opened.

Next there was Minako, the first of the girls whom she had met, dressed in a limegreen top and an orange skirt. Sabrina understood why she had originally mistook her for Sailor Moon, as the two were in deed very similar. Though the bright red bow on her head distinguished her from her comrade-that and she seemed to be more cheerful. Of all the girls, she was the most talkative, always able to come up with the right things to say.

Then there was Rei, a tentative young woman who called the Hikawa Shrine home. She had deep shoulder-length black hair, wearing a red light-jacket with an orange-red undershirt and black bottoms. What was most surprising to Sabrina was the fact that she possessed psychic abilities, just as she had. Albeit they weren't as well developed, but that didn't renounce her power in one bit.

Finally, there was Usagi, the one whom Sabrina was told was Sailor Moon. She seemed younger than the others, though she was actually the same age-_just more childish,_ Sabrina thought. She had long blonde hair that was tied into two pigtails which trailed down to her ankles, over a violet sweater and an old pair of jeans. The bright, sparkling eyes which Sabrina had seen in the newspaper were now dark and unweary. She was supposed to appear during the New Year's celebrations celebration the following night, but she was seriously considering canceling altogether. It wouldn't be safe with that madman still on the loose, she thought.

And in addition to the Sailor Scouts, there was Rina, whom she had met at the beach the night before. Her elbow-length hair was the colour of seaweed, so dark it was almost black, along with a yellow t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She seemed just as quiet as Ami, though her reasons were rather different. Like Sabrina, she was flung into her current reality without a clue as to what the bigger picture was.

Sabrina had told them all that she had experienced in the past forty-eight hours. About her morning at the gym, the Toraifosu, her experience at the Snowpoint Temple, the stale dumpling that was Mokona, right up to her time in her her current reality. Usagi's eyes just glazed over, unable to comprehend the complexity of the events, and while Minako was able to keep up, she too wasn't capable of understanding what was happening. Rina understood better than the others, as she had also experienced it first-hand. But Rei and Ami were still the most intrigued by Sabrina's journey.

"It is possible," Ami interjected, speaking for the first time. "The multiverse has been suggested in some versions of M-theory. In one version, our universe-and yours," she added, referring to Rina and Sabrina, "-were created by collisions between membranes in eleven-dimensional space. However, it was not known if travel between these alternate realities was possible."

"Until now," Rei added, again indicating Rina and Sabrina. "You said you traveled here with help from a white rabbit? What did it do?"

Sabrina shook her head. "I don't know. One second I was back home, and then I was here in your world." Rina nodded in agreement.

"But that man, Will, Mokona did not take him here, did he?" Rina asked Sabrina.

"No," she responded. "He's traveling in another manner. Most likely with this Toraifosu."

"Yes, you mentioned that before," Rei said. "Any idea what it is?"

"It is a golden medallion," Sabrina responded, recalling what Bill had told her. "There are a select few who are able to control its power, and Mr. Itsuki happens to be one of them. An associate of mine, a man named Bill Masaki, had claimed to have found a plaque that showed the way to the Toraifosu."

"And did it?" Minako asked.

Sabrina nodded. "But he could not understand the markings written on it. So he got in touch with me, thinking I might have had better luck. But I did not."

"And a week later, Will had the plaque, and Bill...he was killed."

Usagi clasped her hand to her mouth. "He killed him?!" She had seen him on the beach earlier, but I guess it wasn't until that moment that she truly realized what he was capable of.

But Ami had another question on her mind. "So he found the medallion, and received this power to travel to alternate realities? But there's more to it than that, right?"

"Yes," Rina answered her. "From what I understand, the Toraifosu was not solely in Sabrina's world. It had been broken up by someone, supposedly Mokona's people, and scattered throughout the multiverse. So, Will is now attempting to use his new abilities to travel between worlds, collecting all of these 'Toraifosu fragments.'"

"Getting more powerful with every one he gets his hands on," Sabrina said.

Everyone remained still for a moment. Everything was getting more solemn by the second. If Will was successful in achieving his goal, he would become unstoppable. All those in the room had seen what he was capable of already...with even one more fragment, he could become out of their league.

Minako was the one to finally break the silence. "So if he's only come here to get this fragment, why is he after Usagi?"

Usagi's head lifted out of her thoughts, hearing her name being mentioned. Ami stood silent, unable to give a response. Likewise, the wheels in Rei's mind were running on overtime, still unable to answer.

But Sabrina had something in mind. "Because _you_ have the Toraifosu, Sailor Moon."

Usagi jumped out of her seat, shocked by this new revelation. "_I have it!?_"

Sabrina nodded, explaining about the newspaper she had picked up during her first hours in that reality, and the image of Sailor Moon that she had seen. There was a pink bow on the front of her Sailor Suit, with a gold and pink heart-shaped pendant in the centre.

"My compact?" Usagi said, taking out the object that allowed her to transform into Sailor Moon.

"I believe so," Sabrina said. "When I first heard about you, I wasn't sure of the connection. But I've done some research on you, Usagi. You've protected this planet from extra-terrestrials, time travelers, and this 'Dark Kingdom.' Without you and your friends here, this world would have been lost years ago."

"It's my duty to protect the world," Usagi said, seemingly more serious now. "And my dearest friends," she added, looking around the table.

Sabrina nodded. "Well, I believe that compact there has been helping you all along. Or rather, that the _Toraifosu_ has been."

The girls let that information sink in, as a pair of footsteps could be heard coming toward them from the next room over.

Sabrina jumped up from her seat instinctively, waiting for the man to enter. Once he had, Sabrina sprung in front of him, grabbed his arms, and pushed him against the wall, her knee mere centimetres from where she knew would hurt him the most.

He wasn't Will, that was for sure. He was in his late teens or early twenties, with a head of shaggy shoulder-length hair that almost seemed to cover his eyes. He was wearing a kimono with a white top and indigo bottoms. And Sabrina could sense a feeling of fear in his mannerisms.

"Who are you?!" she spat.

"Sabrina!" Rei shouted, rushing to the man's side. "This is Yuichiro, he works here at the shrine. Put him down this instant!"

Sabrina calmed herself, releasing her grip from the man's arms, and backing away. The man-Yuichiro, as Rei had called him-sunk down to the ground, a little shocked from the incident.

"I...I'm sorry," Sabrina said, a line of red flashing across her cheeks. "I thought you were someone else."

"It's fine," Yuichiro said, his cheeks growing a nice shade of red as well. Rei was now knelt down next to him, asking if he was all right. Sabrina noticed that his mannerisms suddenly changed the moment he looked to her. _Perhaps the girl's psychic abilities are better than I thought,_ Sabrina thought silently. _Increasing his body temperature like that, and changing his very character._ Rei had changed as well, as she had a previously unnoticed flare in her eye, and was seemingly energized as she helped Yuichiro back up to his feet, asking him once again asking if he was all right. He nodded, and, upon realizing that he had Rei's hand in his, quickly released it and backed away, missing the overhead light by mere millimetres.

"Umm...I...I was just wondering if you ladies would like any refreshments?"

"Sure!" Usagi said. "Do you have melon soda?"

"I'll go see, Miss Tsukino!" Yuichiro said, before dashing out of the room.

"Anyway," Sabrina said. "As I was saying, I believe that the power of the Toraifosu is what allows you to become Sailor Moon, otherwise Will would have no reason to come after you. Conversely, it would be powerful enough to extend it abilities to the three of you," she added, looking to Rei, Minako, and Ami.

"And Mako," Usagi said. "She couldn't make it today, so she's not here. But she's one of us."

"So the Toraifosu lends its power to all five of you," Sabrina said, amazed that it even had that ability. "Just as Will's does to him."

"So what do we do to stop him?" Rina said. "Destroy it?"

"No," Sabrina said, much to Usagi's relief. "I don't believe it can be destroyed-otherwise Mokona's people would have done it already."

"We have to beat Will at his own game," Sabrina said. "Usagi, do you think you could still go to that New Year's celebration?"

"I suppose so," she answered. "Why?"

And then Sabrina began telling them her plan.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"What do you mean they almost didn't put him in?! Just because he is one of the most popular characters out there, huh? Well that's stupid. If the other people are _good_, then they won't be overlooked! Hey, maybe even that popular dude will turn out to be a loser, eh? Ever think about that?"

Naruto stopped, fed up with arguing with the guy. He was just the owner of the little convenience store, and he had no affiliation with the manga company.

"N-n-no," he said, stuttering.

"Whatever," Naruto said, turning his back to the man as he left the store. "Goodbye."

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Naruto once again couldn't help but be amazed at the city he was in. 'Tokyo,' it was called, and it was like nothing he had ever seen before in his life. Buildings rose high into the sky, making the grandest of buildings in the Country of Fire seem like ant hills.

But he never wanted to return home before any moreso than he did at that moment.

*****

"Hinata, can you hear me?!"

Naruto was racing through the forest, facing the ever-pending onslaught of night. He knew that the odds would no longer be in his favour once that the darkness swept through the area. That is, if they ever _were_ in his favour.

Again, he looked down to the girl he was carrying along with him. She was unconscious, unable to move on her own at the time-being. Her grey and lavender hooded coat stained with her own blood; her deep purple hair seemingly trying to hide the bruises on her face; and around her neck, her forehead protector, holding the image of a leaf engraved into its metal plate, had been scratched, revealing a slight gash next to the image symbolizing her home village.

And she still had no answer for him

Then, as if from nowhere, a thunderous blow was heard from the skies above, as the distinctive sound of raindrops clashing above the treetops could be heard.

"Oh, crap," Naruto said, catching a glimpse above the canopy ahead, of the clouds darkening to a shade of black he had never seen before in that form. This wasn't going to be an ordinary shower.

Quickly scanning his nearby surroundings, he notices a small cave to his left. With one fell swoop to the ground, he rushed inside, barely avoiding the initial onslaught of the storm. As seconds later, the world outside became nothing but darkness, engulfed in the thick scent of rainwater.

Naruto scanned the cave once over, looking for any signs of human or animal activity. Much to his relief, he found none. He then turned his attention to Hinata, lying her against the rocky wall, praying that she would come to. She was still breathing, much to his relief, but that was the only good news he could find.

"Hinata, what were you even doing out here?" he said, looking to the ground. "If only I had known..."

He looked to her forehead protector, which had now fallen to the ground in front of him, and the scratch it had along the plating. He took it in his hand, wondering who could have done such a thing. Hinata was such a nice person, and she didn't deserve this. To be lying unconscious, and near death, in this despicable place which nobody could find...._It should have been me,_ he thought to himself. Hinata was such a nice person, without a single enemy who Naruto could name....And yet, now...

"Hinata, WAKE UP!" he shouted, but once again, there was no answer. And Naruto could feel the warm tears running down his face.

"Hinata," he said again, though it was more a whisper this time. "Wake up..."

*****

Naruto was walking along the streets of the city, thinking about Hinata, and whether she was all right. More than wanting to figure out where he was and why, he just wished he could tell if she was okay. But at the moment, that seemed impossible....

"NARUTO!"

He spun around, wondering who was calling to him in such a place. And upon doing so, his face turned white with shock.

She was a young girl, about his age. And she was wearing _pink_, and lots of it. A small form-fitting sweater, a rather short skirt, and even her shoes were coloured a rather deep, rosy shade of pink. Looking more closely, he could see pinkish lipstick and eye shadow, and a pair of plastic hoop earrings in her ears that were also _pink_. But still, that was not his first thing he noticed about her....What he noticed was that long, deep purple hair...the smile on her face when she recognized him...and those eyes, those deep grey eyes that he thought he may never have seen again.

"Hinata...?" Naruto stood there dumbfounded. _Could it really be you?_ he thought inwardly as she came rushing toward him.

Then, before he could say another word, or even stop to consider the situation, Hinata had her arms around him, holding herself as close to him as she could manage. Naruto's cheeks suddenly turned a slight shade of red that almost seemed matched her clothing. "Hinata, is that real-" he began to say, before being interrupted by her lips, which were now planted right against his. By now he was almost certain that she was not the Hinata he knew, but nonetheless, he could not bring himself to stop her embrace.

Releasing her grip from him, she took his hand in hers. "It's good to see you, Naruto-dear," she said. "I was almost worried that you wouldn't come. But....what in God's name are you wearing, boy!"

Naruto looked down to his clothing. Black boots, orange leggings, and an orange jacket with thick black rims around the edges, down the arms, and along the zipper. Not to mention the forehead protector which he had wrapped around his spiky blonde head of hair. He hadn't thought about it until that moment, but he did look quite a bit out of place in his current setting.

He rubbed the back of his head, sweatdropping as he began to make a response. But before he could, there was another voice behind him.

"Hey, who are you?"

Naruto once again turned around to see whose words he had heard. And to his utter amazement, the one he saw was...himself.

He was exactly the same height, with the exact same blue eyes and the exact same spiky blonde hair, though his was without the forehead protector barring Konoha's symbol. Similarly, his get-up was a sight to behold: glistening white dress shoes, pure white leggings, and suit and tie, which were, of course, _white_.

"Naruto?" 'Hinata' asked. "But if you're...then who..." she began to say, looking between the two.

"I'm nobody," Naruto quickly said before they could think it over. "I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time....Or the right place, depending on how you look at it," he added, noticing that Hinata's face was now the one matching her own clothing. "Anyway, I'm sorry I kept you, but if you don't mind, I'll just be on my way."

He then set out on his way, taking just one last moment to whisper a small comment into his alternate self.

"Take good care of her, Naruto," he said. "Hinata's a very special girl, though I suspect you already know that. But make sure she knows it as well, okay?"

But before the alternate Naruto could respond, he was gone.

"Because one day, you may never have the chance."

*****

Naruto looked to the oversized water chestnut with ears as it hopped onto the book entitled _The Nature of Chakra_. "The Toraifosu has been sealed away throughout the multiverse," Mokona said, seemingly fairly serious for once. "For it was considered too powerful to allow one person to have it in his possession. We had not predicted that one day, someone would have obtained the ability to travel between worlds as we do."

"Huh?" Naruto said, not getting it.

Mokona sighed, obviously frustrated. "I've already done this four times, and you've been the first one who hasn't understood a thing I say."

Naruto slapped his hands down on the table. "That's because I don't care! I'm sorry for your troubles, but I kind of have something of my own that I have to deal with, okay!"

Mokona shook its little sock-puppet head. "You mean protecting your village, right. Protecting Sakura. Getting Sasuke back. Saving Hinata."

Naruto did not even care why Mokona knew his reasons so well. "Yes," he said, collapsing to the ground in a heap, tears flowing once again. "I'm sorry, but I have to worry about them now."

Mokona remained silent for a moment. "What if I told you that by helping me, you will be helping them as well?"

"I'm listening," was all the response it got.

Mokona sighed yet again, feeling that its explanation would once again be for naught. "The multiverse has grown weaker in the passing centuries. The balance of power has been all but broken, and now some worlds have been forced to rely on the Toraifosu's power for their own protection. Including _your_ world, Naruto Uzumaki. And in other worlds, those individuals with the ability the harness the full power of the Toraifosu have found the means to travel to _other_ worlds. And in doing so, the balance of power is weakened even further, due to two fragments being in so close proximity to one another. Should anyone manage to collect all the fragments, Naruto, your friends, your friends will be powerless to stop it. So we have chosen five individuals, including yourself, to prevent these people from using the Toraifosu's power, in the hope that we can once again restore balance to the multiverse."

"Huh?"

*****

Once he was sure that he had gotten away from his alternate self, he continued on his way. Where he was going, he did not know, thought he hoped he'd figure that out soon enough.

It seemed like an hour, or perhaps two, had passed before he noticed anything significant, upon entering the Juban district of the city, near the edge of a nearby park.

There were two women locked in battle. The first was a brunette, who was taller than average, wearing her hair in a ponytail. She had on a white sailor suit, along with a small green skirt, and a pair of black high heeled boots with white laces. She was also adorned with white gloves, a pink bow and green pendant on her chest, and a small golden tiara around her forehead. The other was also a brunette, but she had so little hair that she almost appeared bald. She was wearing a blood red tank top, a similarly coloured unbuttoned blouse, a pair of blackened jeans, and no shoes.

"Supreme...Thunder!" the first called out, as sparks began flying from her tiara, forming a visible spear of electrical energy right above her head. And then, a bolt of lightning piercing the air, headed straight for the other woman. She did not move, however, instead moving her arms in a circular pattern, as she began conducting her own electrical energy, in an odd, auric blue wave. And this wave was struck by the incoming attack, which it then absorbed, before growing in size and power.

The first woman stood in shock, surprised at what little effect her attack had had.

"There is no point resisting, fool," the balding woman snapped. Her voice was harsh, and most notably, a little jagged. "So just tell me: where is Sailor Moon?"

"Don't tell her, Jupiter!" yelled out some kid from behind Naruto. It was that point that Naruto realized that he was not the only one who had been watching the fight. In fact, there were quite a number of passers-by who had come to see what was going on.

"I won't" the first woman, whom Naruto was now referring to as 'Jupiter,' said, first looking to the kid, and then to her opponent.

"Wrong answer," she said, smiling. It seemed to Naruto that she was unknown to not just him, but the rest of the onlookers as well. She then stood straight, laughing wickedly into the sky as bolts of blue fire shot out from each of her hands, striking the grass at her feet. The moment it did, it began to race across the ground in a linear fashion, heading straight for Jupiter.

Naruto decided then and there that he would no longer be an onlooker. He leapt in between the two women, getting down on all fours as he pushed his arms hands-down onto the soil. In doing so, he had severed just enough blades of grass so that the fire no longer had anywhere to spread. The balding woman looked down to him, rage emanating from her very presence, as the fire disappeared in an instant. "And who are you?" she asked with a sneer.

But before he could answer, he began to hear the sounds of sirens blaring in the distance, coming ever closer by the minute. That noise had apparently spooked her, as by that time she was gone, vanished almost into thin air, without a single trace of where she had gone.

"Thank you," Jupiter said, as Naruto turned to face her. "But I'm afraid I must repeat the question: who are you?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

_Makoto..._

They had managed to merge into the crowd from the confusion entailing from the arrival of the police. Makoto did not need to tell them anything, as there were enough people there who had seen what had happened. About the mysterious bald women who had picked a fight with her, and yes, even the blonde boy who had come to her aid. She wanted to learn more of him herself, but she had already reverted back to her original form, with a loose orange top and a pair of slacks, and he was no longer in sight.

Or so she thought.

"Jupiter, right?"

She spun around, surprised that her identity had been revealed. Even moreso when she realized that it was in fact the blonde boy who was addressing her. He was shorter than her, but not by much. He had dazzling blue eyes, thin black lines across his cheeks, and a headband adorning the imprint of what had to be an elm leaf. That was odd enough, but his black and orange clothing seemed so out of the ordinary as well.

But beyond all this, Makoto noticed something else. Those eyes...that hair...even his voice...he reminded her so much of her ex-boyfriend!

"Jupiter?"

"Pardon?" she replied, zoning back into reality.

"You're Jupiter, right?" he said. "That's what the little one called you, anyway," he added with a light laugh, causing Makoto to blush.

"My name is Makoto," she said, confused at how he had apparently figured out her identity. "You must have me mistaken with-."

"Now don't play with me, Miss," he said. "You were just down there using some crazy lightning techniques with some other lady."

Before Makoto could come up with a response to that, she heard the sound of ringing in her ears.

*****

_Rei..._

The sun was slowly setting on the horizon, as hints of darkness spread across the land. Storefronts were switching off their lights as well, as the lanterns hanging around the vicinity of the Tokyo Tower were lit up, in preparation for this last night of the year.

Rei and Yuichiro had left earlier than the others, though the place was already crowded. Rei sighed, wondering if they would all be able to find each other in the commotion, and more importantly, if Sabrina's plan had any chance of working.

Yuichiro, noticing her mind in the clouds, placed his hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. "Miss Rei, are you all right?"

She looked up to him, surprised that he was so concerned about her. "Yes, I'm fine," she said.

"You're thinking of your New Year's resolutions, aren't you?" he said with a slight stutter in his voice.

Rei actually laughed at his comment, nodding. "Yes, I guess I was," she said, not exactly lying. "What about you, Yuichiro?"

Upon hearing her question, his face turned beat red. "Umm...well, yeah, I have one in mind myself."

But before Rei could delve deeper, she heard her name being called.

"Rei! Yuichiro!"

It was Mamoru. His tall frame allowed him to find them easily in the crowd, though Rei could guess that she wasn't the one he was looking for, noting the bouquet of red roses in his hands. His short black hair had been professionally cut, and he was wearing an unbuttoned green shirt with a white top underneath, along with a pair of black khakis.

"Hello Mamoru," Yuichiro said, seemingly relieved that their past conversation was forgotten. Rei smiled gently as she said the same.

"Have you seen Usagi yet?" he asked.

*****

_Ami..._

"So the four perceptive dimensions are restricted to a brane, and this is supposedly in a space of higher dimension. Therefore, if we-"

"Ami?"

"Yes?"

"We're ready."

Ami set her books down, reverting her attention to the two before her. Minako smiled wickedly as she took the book out of Ami's hands, setting it onto the floor below. "It's winter break, sheesh. You don't have to study all the time, you know."

Ami sighed. Her research wasn't yet complete, so she decided to keep her findings to herself for the time being.

"We're not only going out to have fun, you know," she pointed out to Minako. "Usagi may in danger," she added, looking to the other person before her.

"We'll be fine," she said, in the low, ominous voice that Ami now recognized as that of the Psychic from the Pokemon world. "I've always got us out of trouble before, right? This 'Will' fellow will be no different-just you watch! Hehehe..."

***

_Zoro..._

"Hello, sir! Leaving the party so soon?"

"No. I'm heading straight for it."

"But sir...Tokyo Tower is the other way."

...

Walking along the _correct_ path to the festival, Zoro was scanning the crowds looking for a lone masked man. Occasionally he would spot someone in a mask, but it was never Will. Some were children, some were women, and some did not fit the description at all. And Zoro had that man's face-mask or not-imprinted into his mind. He was suddenly brought back to that moment on the beach, where he stood on his knees, unable to move a single muscle in his body. And that crooked smile, that one pitch-black eye, and that spiked purple hair that seemed to belittle the twilight....If Zoro saw Will again, he would know it.

Shaking those thoughts out of his mind, he reverted his attention to the world he was now in-and more specifically, the city of Tokyo. Festivals included, he had never seen so many people in one place in his world. And beyond that, the technology that these people had was beyond anything he knew.

Finally, he reached the tower that he had seen earlier from the beach. It was almost conical in shape, with the tip of its spire reaching a height of over three hundred metres, and a myriad of blue-coloured lights adorning it from top to bottom. And below it, the stage where "Sailor Moon" would be appearing. There was only a camera crew there at the moment, as it was still early in the evening.

Plenty of time left for Will to make his move.

***

_Rina..._

"You have got to be kidding me," Rina said, starring skeptically with her hands on her hips. "Like I would ever wear something like that."

"But, Ms. Harano, you selected this yourself, did you not?" the receptionist asked.

Rina sighed, looking once again to the white tank top, the denim jacket, and the small blue skirt. _Sabrina, you had better know what you're doing..._ she thought to herself, as she gave a smile to the woman. "Yes, I suppose I did," she told her, finally taking the clothing items.

Taking the items into her dressing room, Rina sat down and looked up at the cieling. "Lucia, Hanon, everyone...if you knew what I was doing to get back to you," she said aloud, looking to her reflection in the mirror. The contacts that she was wearing to make her eyes appear brown really changed her appearance-moreso than she had originally thought. But still, what really caught her attention was her hair, as the usual locks that were the colour of seaweed were now as dark as a cloud-filled night sky.

***

_Minako..._

"Okay, Ami, and, umm...Sabrina, Makoto said she'll be here any minute. So no worries, 'kay?"

The three women arrived at the scene, which was by then enveloped in moonlight.

Minako spotted Zoro in the crowd, but didn't attempt to get his attention. As Sabrina mentioned, they shouldn't try to bring too much attention to themselves until absolutely necessary.

But then..."Mamo!"

Before she could think another thought, Minako saw the image of the Psychic trainer rushing towards Mamoru with her arms outstretched. However, before she could make it to him, Rei appeared, planting herself between the two.

"_Sabrina,_ no," she said. "Mamoru is a friend, just like Yuichiro. And we don't go about attacking our friends now, do we?!" she added, sticking out her tongue.

Minako sweatdropped, as she looked back toward the stage. If things were all going according to plan, then Rina would be appearing there shortly.

***

_Zuko..._

Having been the city for some time, Zuko had got accustomed to the place somewhat. He was now in more "normal" attire, wearing a pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a dog-eared blue baseball cap.

So far, he had no intel on whether or not Azula was in the city-just his gut feeling. But he knew now more than ever that that was as good a feeling as any to follow. Azula was in the this place, this city known as 'Tokyo', and he was going to find her. If it was the last thing he ever did, he was going to find her, and stop her.

Hearing of a New Year's festival in town, Zuko decided to go and investigate. From what he heard, a Ms. "Sailor Moon," apparent figurehead of that world, would be appearing on stage shortly. He thought that if anyone could-or 'would,' as seemed more likely to be the case-help him find his sister, she definitely would. And if she couldn't, it would at least be a nice change of pace, being in the midst of such a celebration.

***

_Will..._

"Three...Two...One...Go!"

Will watched through the lens of his camera as he watched the host for the little get-together, Akemi Masano, step up onto the stage. And though he was sure he hadn't seen the woman before, there was just something about her that got him thinking. _Must have known her in another world,_ he said to himself, as he continued to watch.

She was a regular superstar, looking like she had just walked out of a magazine cover. Her makeup was flawless, her jewelery was radiant yet elegant, and her clothes fit perfectly. But still, unnoticed by the crowd, who had already begun to cheer at her mere presence, there was an slight swagger to her step, and a hint of anxiety in her facial expression. _But you're not the one I'm looking for, little girl,_ Will said, stepping back to focus the camera on the myriad of fans eager to see their heroine. Searching the crowd in the time he had without looking suspicious, he noticed a group of girls who resembled those which he had met the other night. And among them, much to his surprise-and albeit pleasure-there was another woman at their side.

It was only for a split second, as he had to continue filming Ms. Masano, but he was sure that it was his Sabrina.  
And yet, she seemed different, like her few experiences in that world had already begun to change her. For...for he had seen her crying. And not just a single tear, as he had seen before-no, she was bawling. _A trick?_ he thought at first. _But how does she know I'm watching?_

"And now, for the one you've all been waiting for!" Ms. Masano said, as she began to back off of the stage. "Sailor Moon!"

Much to his surprise, the crowd began cheering at even a higher volume than before, as the woman from the other night stepped onto the stage.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Two hours earlier..._

"I am sorry, but you must remain hidden until our mission is complete," Sabrina said.

"But still," Rina said, looking to the two security personnel, sitting bound and gagged, wearing only their underclothes. "We could have made them more comfortable, don't you think?"

"I left my dollhouse at home," Sabrina said matter of factly, positioning her newly found sunglasses onto her face. "This'll have to do."

The two ladies looked like they had just walked out a spy novel. They were dressed from head to toe in black pantsuits, finely polished shoes, and of course, the sunglasses. And despite the fact that there weren't even their clothes, they looked good. Grabbing a set of keys out of her pocket, she began heading for the limousine parked conveniently outside of the building. "Time to get Ms. Harano now, Rina. Shall we?"

***

"They won't possibly believe I'm her," Rina said, looking in a mirror at her newly coloured hair. She was sitting in the back of the limo, looking out the window at the crowd of people arriving.

"Sure they will," Sabrina said, from behind the chauffeur's window. "I've already placed most of the people here under my spell. And besides, you're a dead ringer for her anyway," she added with a grin, referring to the unconscious woman lying on the seat opposite Rina.

Before Rina could make a response, Sabrina could see some more security personnel walking toward the vehicle. "Okay, it's showtime," Sabrina said, rolling her window up. "Rina, you know what to do. I'll be seeing you soon."

And with that, she watched in the rear view mirror as the door opened, and Rina was led outside. _Good,_ Sabrina noted, as if there was any doubt. _They suspect nothing._

After the last of the security guards waved her off, Sabrina set off for her own destination, looking at the small pile of clothes that she had lying against the passenger's seat.

It was already getting dark, allowing for better movements. For both sides. But that didn't worry her to much. Will may be out to kill Sailor Moon, but he was not going to take her out if she had anything to do with it.

***

Leaving the limo in an empty lot not to far from the tower, Sabrina checked the time, noting that Rina should have been on the stage by then. It was time for her to get into position.

Getting out of the vehicle, she was only in the open hair for mere seconds before she could sense the presence of another. She turned around, looking to the street. There was nobody there, as she has suspected. Everyone was over at the festival. Except for the idiot that she was about to make wish he had never seen her face.

Then...WHUMPFHH!

Before she could turn back around, she was pushed against the side of the limo, with a good enough force. Finally getting a look at her opponent, she saw him to be a balding, thirty-something male with a scruffed-looking beard and some baggy clothes. He had his left arm holding Sabrina against the car, and his right was right up against her exposed neck.

"What is such a pretty thing like you doing in such a place?" he said, snickering.

"I could ask the same thing of you," Sabrina said, her eyes darker than the shadows surrounding her. "Without even carrying a weapon on you."

It was after her last line that the man realized that the hand by her neck was empty. "Wha...what did you do?!" he shouted, backing away from her slowly. Then, he collapsed onto his knees, unable to stand up on his own two legs anymore.

"You chose the wrong person to mess with," Sabrina said, brushing the dust off of her new outfit. "I may look it at the moment, but I'm no airhead school girl. And you, well...you've gone and made me mad."

The man, still unable to move a muscle in his body, was suddenly levitated from the ground. And then, with a flick of her finger, he was sent flying into the abyss. And all the while, she could make out the man growing smaller by the minute, as those muscles began turning to threads, and his eyes turned to beads.

"At least Will is an worthy opponent," she muttered to herself, as she set out on her way.

***

"I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you! I will right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you!"

Once the words were out of her mouth, she wished she had rescinded them. _Was this really what that Usagi would say before a fight?_ Sabrina thought to herself. She looked over to the girl, who was doing a horrible job of playing her part. She was crying, undoubtedly because she could not be with her boyfriend at the moment because she was posing as someone who couldn't stand being by his side. But Rei, the young psychic girl, seemed successful in keeping her away. _But still,_ she thought. _If Will had seen her pouty face, would he really be convinced that it was her?_ She had her doubts.

But her thoughts were soon answered, as she heard a rifle being loaded.

Much to her surprise, it was one of the cameramen, who tossed his recording device into the crowd like a piece of trash, as he positioned the rifle square in Sabrina's face.

"Sailor Moon, I presume," he said, apparently falling for the whole ruse. "Remember me? The names Itsuki. William Itsuki."

"You...your that man from the other night," Sabrina said in her best clueless voice, again hoping it was convincing enough. Looking quickly into the crowd she could see that "Sabrina" and Mamoru had went to the back of the crowd as planned, as the other Sailor Scouts were making their way to the stage.

"You looking for Sabrina?" he said with a laugh. "I saw her over yonder, bawling her eyes out. She's probably frustrated because she can't be here with her star-crossed lover, hehe."

Sabrina cringed at the thought, though laughed inwardly at the thought that Will had actually gotten something right for change.

"You should never have listed to that woman, Miss Moon," he said. "She doesn't have your best interest in heart. Trust me, I know what she's like."

"She doesn't have a gun pointed at me," Sabrina said, matter-of-factly.

"No," he said, letting out a chuckle. "Well no, she doesn't," he said, bringing the weapon ever closer to her head-so close that she could smell the wooden trimmings. "But I do."

"No," Sabrina said with an innocent-looking smile. "You don't."

Will looked puzzled for a moment, as the cranks and levers in his head began to turn rapidly. It was only when he saw the wooden casing on his rifle turn to ceramic, and then some mutated plastic compound, that he finally realized what had happened. "Sa...sa...sa..."

"Hahaha. So you've finally figured out our little trick, eh?" Sabrina said, whipping the blonde wig off of her head. "I'll give you one thing, Will: you are a little smarter than I had expected. Just a little though," she added with a sly grin.

"Oh, and I think I should mention that your Thundershocks and Volt Tackles won't work anymore," she said upon noticing Will attempting to use the former. Rina should have been able to install the electrical jamming software into the systems by now, which should have finally gotten online. She told Will as much.

And right then, when she saw the look on his face, red hot with rage as his teeth gritted, as he began to realize that he had been had, she thought that it had all been worth it. "It all ends here, Will," she said. "We have you surrounded." She stood there patiently as Will observed his surroundings, confirming this fact. The pirate hunter, Zoro, was positioned to his rear, all three of his swords at the ready. And to the side stood Rei, already in her Sailor Mars guise, ready to pummel him into the ground if he even thought of escaping. At the front of the hoard of onlookers, who were still cheering on what they thought was just an act put on by the television company, stood Sailors Mercury and Venus, likewise with their eyes burning into Mr. Itsuki's back. And of course, right in front of him stood Sabrina, still looking elegant in her sailor uniform, but without the cheerful attitude of the crybaby Usagi.

And she hoped that Will would run in her direction. She so wanted the opportunity to take him out, to pay him back for what he had done to Bill, for getting her shipped off to this warped reality that she was now in, for...for..._for making her wear a freakin' sailor uniform!_

"We knew you'd be targeting Miss Moon, and that you'd most likely be planning to strike tonight," she said. "You may be smart enough to get this far, William, but this is as far as it goes. You've lost."

Will collapsed onto the ground, landing squarely on his knees. He then looked up to the Saffron leader, speaking for the first time.

"You look lovely tonight, Miss Natsume," he said. He did not sound like a corned Torchic at that moment, much to her surprise, or even dismay. No, he sounded much more like a distinguished gentleman working up the nerve to ask a young lady to dance at the ball. "You should dress like that more often, honey. It is much more intriguing-especially from down here," he added with a sly grin.

WHUP!

Sabrina slapped the man on his right cheek, before backing away to a safe distance from him, all the while hoping that nobody had noticed the slight reddening of her cheeks after hearing his words.

"SHUT THIS MAN UP!" she shouted, looking to Zoro.

"With pleasure," he said, walking up to Will's side. Sabrina knew that Mr. Roronoa wanted some revenge for what had happened on the beach, so he would be the best to do this next part. And of course, he was really the only one who _could,_ thanks to those swords of steel.

And that's when it happened. Without a moment's hesitation, Will spun into a hand standing position, swinging his left leg _straight at him!_ Zoro responded immediately, slicing the air like butter as his three blades made contact with the Pokemon trainer's leg. And with a sound of metal scraping across cement, they clashed!

"What the..." Zoro began as he defended against the other leg, ending with the same result.

Then..."Look out!" someone from the crowd shouted out as the silhouette of a creature never before seen by most of the people present appeared before the full moon, and then landing with a loud thud as it broke up the fight between the two 'swordsmen.'

"Gallade, finish him off for me!" Will said, dusting himself off and getting back onto his feet, and turning back to Sabrina.

"Oh no you don't! MERCURY AQUA MIRAGE!"

It was Ami, standing there right behind him, as she formed a spherical ball of water over her palm, twirling around like some mad ballerina. The sphere than exploded, sending water flying in all directions, eventually forming a helical vortex around her person.

Meanwhile, Will turned to her and laughed. "Jynx, Ice Beam now!"

And with that, a previously unseen poke ball appeared, from it materializing the said Pokemon. It was feminine in form, with long blonde hair and a dress-like organic garment that was the colour of blood. It had a large pair of pink lips and a pair of bulgy white eyes on its black face, and two indigo-coloured five fingered hands. Obviously a Jynx to Sabrina, but to everyone else in the vicinity, it was a monster. Sabrina could hear the screams coming from the crowd as people ran for cover, just as Mercury was finishing up her attack. The vortex that had formed around her had now begun to converge into spears water, which had begun to fly before the already prepared Psychic trainer. The newly materialized Jynx clasped its hands together as a ball of white frosty energy erupted from her mouth, shooting towards the water attack. The spears instantly froze upon contact, as they were brought down to the ground with gravity, shattering like glass.

Will laughed, almost hysterically. "I'm amazed you magical girls have made it so far," he said. "Probably because the only people who ever face you are stupid enough to wait for your little attacks to go to fruition."

"BURNING...MANDALA!!!"

"CRESCENT BEAM...SHOWER!!!"

"SHINE AQUA...ILLUSION!!!"

Sabrina snicked as the two Sailor Scouts started their attacks while Will was in the middle of his rant. He may have been able to take out one of them as he had with Mercury, but definitely not all three of them at once. He did have four other Pokemon with him, but it was reasonable to say that Slowbro was still not ready to battle. After all, there wasn't any decent Pokemon Centre in their current reality.

"Bronzong, Girafarig, Xatu, GO!" he shouted as he threw three poke balls into the air.

Sabrina nodded, giving Haunter her cue, as the phantom-like Pokemon materialized before the crowd, its wicked toothed grin, armless claws, and mischievous dark eyes causing those in the crowd who hadn't already begun to scream to start. She grabbed two of the poke balls in mid-throw, preventing them from releasing the creatures within them. As for the other, it released the Xatu that Zoro and Rina had encountered earlier, which began circling over the myriads of people-not attacking, it seemed, but _searching,_ obviously allowing his trainer to take the damage from the impending attacks.

And Sabrina knew all too well what-or rather, _who_-it was looking for.

Sailor Mars had encircled herself within a ring of fire, blazing so wildly that Sabrina was amazed that it hadn't swept into the audience at its rate. The ring suddenly stopped, as it began to grow with intensity, as thick shards of fire began making their way towards the Ice-typed Pokemon at a startling speed, and with even more startling accuracy. The Pokemon, unable to withstand the continuous bombardments of flame, collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud as its eyes glazed over, unable to battle any longer.

Sailor Venus began to perform the attack that Sabrina had first seen all those days ago in front of the restaurant. The tip of her hand began to glow with a brilliant shine, as a beam of bright light shot outwards towards where Zoro and the Pokemon Gallade were, still locked in a rather unique sword fight; the Pokemon using its arms, in addition to its forehead blade, to combat Zoro's three-sword-style techniques. The Crescent Beam Shower attack then broke into a dazzling array of lights, impacting both friend and foe, human and Pokemon alike. But, unlike the Pokemon, who flinched at the sudden attack, turning to look at his new enemy, the human took the damage without a care for his own safety, instead focusing his attention on his now distracted opponent.

"TORA GARI!"

He took the two swords in his hands, placing them over his mouth blade, as he swung forward with a descending slash. Before the Gallade could react, he had a whirlwind of raw power right up in his face, as he could feel the blood seeping from the gaping wounds on his stomach. He too collapsed onto the ground, no longer able to move a muscle. Zoro grinned with the satisfaction that came from winning, though he knew that the battle was still far from over.

Sailor Mercury performed a slight twirl as water once again began to encircle her body. Finally, she faced Will head-on, as the water came together as it propelled itself into his general direction. And Will, for once, had no counter to the attack, as he just stood there with that wicked look on his face, awaiting the impending onslaught of water.

But then, WOOSH! Will disappeared in an instant, reappearing seconds later as seven exact copies of himself. Sailor Mercury's attack struck three of them, causing them to vanish into nothingness, as the water continued to the nearest walls, exploding upon impact.

_He used Double Team?_ Sabrina thought to herself in astonishment, as she scanned the four remaining Wills looking for real one. No luck.

That is, until she felt the arms wrap around her waist from behind, grasping her tightly. "Let's have some time, alone, honey," he said, before leaping into the air at a startling speed, _while taking her along for the ride!_

All Sabrina could see was blurred images of her surroundings, until finally, gravity began to show its effects. She was now what seemed like half a kilometre above the stage, looking down at the crowd of onlookers, including the three Sailor Scouts and the pirate hunter.

And then, she began to feel a surge of energy rushing through her body, as the two Pokemon trainers began their descent back to the ground. But this surge, it felt so much like...._NO!_

She was helpless to stop it given the circumstances. Will was now above the stage, out of range of the jammers that Rina had put in place. So when Sabrina could see the many bolts of thunder coming out of Will's body, headed down the ground, she couldn't help but think that they had failed.

"Sailor Moon, do your best," she said, knowing that he words could not be heard.

And then, everything went dark.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Sabrina opened her eyes.

She looked around at her new surroundings, realizing that she was no longer at the base of the Tokyo Tower. Instead, she was lying in a bed, staring up at a white ceiling.

Darting up, Sabrina could see that she was in a hospital room. But not just any hospital room, no...She was in a Pokemon Centre!

Jumping out of her sheets and to the nearest window, Sabrina could see that there was a fresh set of snow on the ground, as the clouds above darkened the afternoon sky. And further in the distance, she could make out the distinctive snow-capped peaks of the Coronet Mountain Range.

She was back in the Pokemon world! And at the Snowpoint City Pokemon Centre, no less!

"So, you've figured it out, huh?" asked a voice from behind her. "How do you like it, honey?"

Sabrina froze, knowing Will's voice oh so well. She then heard the sound of his maniacal laugh as she spun around to face him. He was as he'd been in the past, adorning a black tuxedo with a small red bow tie in the front, along with a nearly face covering white mask covering all but his wicked grin and his one good eye.

"What did I tell you about calling me honey, you...you...you...!"

"Handsome fellow?" Will suggested, once again laughing at his own splendor. "It's because I love watching your reaction, Sabrina-honey."

Sabrina stood there speechless, unable to hide the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"And if I may, you look absolutely gorgeous in that outfit of yours," he added with a grin, as he winked at her.

It was at that point that Sabrina realized that she was no longer wearing the sailor uniform, but was instead wearing a deep purple short-sleeve top, along with a pair of blacker-than-black velvet slacks. Now, on the one hand she was glad to out of that get-up of Usagi's...but on the other...

"Did you undress me?!!"

Will laughed at her suggestion. "No, not at all, honey," he said, nearing the door. "Nurse Joy did that for me, unfortunately. Anyway," he continued, not wanting to spend too much time on trivial matters such as that. "If you'd please follow me to-."

"Like I'd follow you anywhere," Sabrina muttered.

"Oh yeah?" Will questioned her. "I seem to recall you following me all the way out of this world. And you say you don't have the...regardless, I'm sure you can follow me into the next room, can't you?"

She decided to bit her tongue, following him out of the room into the hallway. She still had many questions, though she doubted if Will would answer any of them. What was she doing back in the Pokemon world, for one? How did Will transport her back so quickly? Was Sailor Moon safe?

Did Sailor Moon ever really exist?

"Ash, Ash...Ash! Get a hold of yourself, man!"

Sabrina was suddenly brought into the present, where she was seeing a young man, looking to be in his mid-to-late teens. He was tall, with a head of spiky brown hair, a similarly coloured brown and orange jacket, and a pair of rugged grey trousers. He was on his knees, trying to get the attention of the other young man in front of him.

He was younger than the brown-haired man, but not by much. He had dark hair, a black and grey sweatshirt, and a pair of jeans. He was someone who seemed oh so familiar to Sabrina....she could remember it like was just yesterday:

***

"Sabrina, I've come back here to your gym to demand a rematch!" the boy called out.

"Another battle?" chimed Sabrina's doll, sitting precariously in her lap. "Even after my Kadabra beat up your Pikachu during the last match? You don't have a chance"

"This time you won't have it so easy," he said, somehow knowing that he would soon receive her badge.

***

It was that boy, Ash Ketchum, who had helped her break away from that doll which had been at her side ever since she was a little girl. That boy, who had confidence to spare, and whom Sabrina had heard about going on to not only the Indigo League, but the Johto and Hoenn Leagues as well. And if her own eyes weren't deceiving her, he had now even ventured to the northern island of Sinnoh.

But today, he was different. His fighting spirit was all but out of him, as he actually looked like he was about to pass into the netherworld. His eyes had bags around them, showing that he hadn't gotten some sleep in quite some time. And more worrisome was the fact that he just sat there dazed, unaware of his friend's words of concern until shaken back into reality. And even then, all he did was stare at him, speechless.

"Stupid kid," Will said under his breath as he led Sabrina to the room across from her's. "Life is more than just Pokemon and battling, you know. He should just give up on his partner, go back home to Viridian City or wherever it is he came from, and get a job. And maybe a girlfriend too," he added, once again laughing at his own wit.

But Sabrina was stuck on the part about "giving up on his partner." Sabrina had predicted earlier that Will had somehow managed to give himself Electric-Type abilities, in a manner that she had yet to fully comprehend. But was it possible that he had not _developed_ them, but instead _stolen_ them? She soon got her answer.

She didn't have to enter the room, as she could already see from the outside. There was Nurse Joy looking at some charts on the wall, a worried look on her face. Sabrina would be at a loss if she were her as well, after looking at who her patient was. It was a Pikachu, no doubt, but no Pikachu that she had ever seen before. Its small mouse-like body was solid white, unlike the regular yellow colour that the species was usually found in. She could make out two darkened grey patches on its face, where the red cheeks used to be. And its tail was just lying still on the bed beside it, its color fading into that of the sheets. She couldn't see any signs of life on the little creature, but there was an IV unit injecting some sort of purple fluid into its system at random intervals. But other than that, she couldn't see any signs of life: no pulse, no heartbeat....nothing.

"Thunderbolt, Double Team, _Volt Tackle,_" Sabrina listed the Pokemon's attacks, remembering the points when Will had used each of them. "Iron ..._Leg,_" she added, recalling Zoro's fight with the man. She turned to Will, who was locked into an evil grin after realizing that she had already figured it out. "You...animal," she said, unable to think of a better word. "What have you done to that poor creature?"

"Oh, how's it any different from turning a pervert into a doll?" he shot back, speaking the truth. "This Pikachu was special. I knew it, you knew it-heck, the entire League knew it. But nobody was daring enough to find out more about this little electric rodent. Until I came in, that is. Or so I thought," he added, undoubtedly referring to Masaki's research on the Toraifosu.

"At first I thought it was an ancient relic, as Masaki also believed, lost forever by our forefathers. But then I realized that that would have been too easy of an explanation. No, these Mokona, of which I think you're familiar, wanted to keep them from getting used for evil, and yet still wanted to call upon them if need be."

"So instead," he continued. "The fragments of the Toraifosu have been given to those who obtain the purest of hearts." He laughed, thinking it was quite an ingenious plan if he did say so himself. "Like in that Pikachu there, who all this time was being powered up by the effects of the Toraifosu." He laughed, peering down the hallway to the Pokemon's trainer, whose pain Sabrina could now sympathize with.

"And so you sucked the life out of it, absorbing the Toraifosu in the process?" Sabrina asked, unbelieving of what she was hearing.

Will nodded. "Precisely," he said, relishing Sabrina's reaction to his words. "Which is exactly what I plan to do to Sailor Moon."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," she said matter-of-factly.

Will sighed, in a way that Sabrina had never seen before. It was almost as if he were...what was the word? Disappointed? "Sabrina, we've worked together on projects in the past, and we did some good work together, did we not?"

"Your point being?" Sabrina asked, remembering their time as League Officials during the commencing of the first ever Canadian League Championship. It was there that Sabrina first caught a glimpse of the man's evil side. Though it was obvious to her that he had a different sequence of events going through his mind.

"Sabrina," he said in a low, gentleman-like voice, coming to her side and wrapping his arm around her waist. "You can't deny the sexual tension between us, honey," he said, admiring the sudden red hue that had begun to emanate from her soft, smooth cheeks. "We could do so much more, become so much more, if you were here at my side. Not against me, but with me, working toward the same goal. We're both Psychics, so we can both harness the full power of the Toraifosu. Imagine it, Sabrina...we could rule the multiverse together, as equals."

Before Sabrina could even think of a response, she could feel his lips gently locked themselves onto hers, as he pulled her in towards him, embracing her presence as though she had already said yes. Sabrina just stood there awestruck for the moment, feeling the strange tingling feeling that came from the other psychic's kiss. _Is this what a kiss feels like?_ she thought to herself. She felt weak but strong, grand yet minute, and she didn't know how to explain it.

But then she felt something else.

"You...PERVERT!" she called out, breaking away from his kiss, instinctively ramming her leg into the one area no man ever wanted to be rammed in.

"Aaaahhhh!!!" Will called out, releasing his grip from the woman, stumbling as he tried to stay on his feet, supporting himself against the wall as he slouched over, obviously in pain. "You...you...WITCH!" he cried out, not wanting to stun the Igglybuff and Cleffa within ears' reach with the word he intended.

"Don't you EVER lay a finger on me again!" Sabrina cried out, not caring who could hear her, Igglybuff or not. "EVER!"

"Well I gue..." he began to say, before letting out a cough as he attempted to stand upright again. "I guess that's a no. Tis a shame, really," he said. "We'd be perfect together, you know."

"Save me the image," Sabrina spat. "To think I'd want any part in your cheap little endeavor. As-"

***

"-if!"

It had ended just as quickly as it had begun.

She was no longer in the Snowpoint Pokemon Centre. No, not just that...she was no longer in the Pokemon World, either.

The snowy landscape of Sinnoh was all but a memory, instead replaced with the lushness of a seaside environment. There was a warm breeze in the air, sweeping through her hair, with the hot sunlight beating down on her face. And right there, positioned on her right shoulder, was something unimaginable....

Will's hand.

Sabrina clenched her fist this time, but it was too late. Will had jumped back, merging into the crowd.

Yes, crowd. They were outside, in what appeared to be a marketplace of some sorts. The people around them had old fashioned clothes for the most part, but she noticed a few men in suits, and others still in white coats with caps adorning the word "Marine." Sabrina was sure she had seen that uniform before, finally realizing that one of the skeletons she had come across after first leaving the Pokemon World was wearing exactly the same headgear. There were several one-story buildings in the area, all seemingly made of wood.

"This is the Island of Jaya," Will said, still standing near her, but out of range of her punches. "It is positioned on the Grand Line, a rough and dangerous part of this world. In fact, I believe you've already met one of this world's inhabitants," he added, indicating the closest building.

There were actual wanted posters on the building! _Jeez, are we stuck in some old American Western movie?_ Sabrina thought to herself, as she focused more closely on one of the posters. It was actually Zoro, the pirate hunter whom she had met earlier in Sailor Moon's realm. "Roronoa Zoro," it read. "120,000,000 Beri."

"So taking all of this into account, I think you'll get used to it here, honey. Though I question if the Grand Line can handle _you!_" he added with a laugh.

_Get used to it?_ Sabrina thought to herself. Why would she want to get used to such a place?

But then it dawned on her. Whenever she had traveled to the Pokemon world, she was caught in Will's arms. And when she left the Pokemon Center for this place, Will had had his hand on her shoulder. Which either meant one of two things: one, he was a masochist, or two, that she required some physical contact with the man in order to teleport between realities with him.

He was trying to lose her!

"Why, you..." she began, rushing towards the other Pokemon trainer before he could manage his escape. Though her heart suddenly sunk as she realized she had stumbled over some miniature Magcargo-thing on the ground, as she began to fall-

***

-right onto Will.

The Johto Elite fell flat on his back, hitting the concrete with a thud, as the Kanto Gym leader fell face-first onto him. He couldn't help but smile as their eyes locked, as her jet-black hair dropped down to tickle his exposed cheek.

"Oh, who's the pervert now?" he said, grinning as he looked up at her.

"Still you," she said, not intending to move just yet. She had an almost evil smile on her face, already taking advantage of the situation. "And I wouldn't make me mad if I were you," she cooed, straightening herself over the man, and pinning his limbs to the ground. "Given your current position, hehe."

And with that, Sabrina finally took notice of where Will had taken her. They were still in a marketplace, but a seemingly more advanced one. The buildings were made of bricks, as opposed to logs, for one, and the people seemed to have better clothes. Though they were dressed awfully similar, with red cloaks, black leggings, and almost everyone had this image of a single burning flame imprinted on their garments.

And all of those flames were pointed in her direction, causing her to sweatdrop. Yes, not only did they just appear out of nowhere, but they were caught in quite an unusual position.

"Hey, you two!" one of the men yelled out. "Could you perhaps do that somewhere else. We're trying to-"

***

Sabrina never got to hear what else the man had to say, as Will had swept her into yet another realm.

They were no longer on the ground, instead finding themselves falling to their deaths, flying almost whimsically past the trees of the forest. Sabrina steadied herself with her powers, slowing her descent to that of a snail's pace almost instantaneously. As her feet finally reached the ground, she looked five metres to her left, where she saw Will land in the same matter.

Now able to think more clearly, she quickly scanned her surroundings. They were deep in the forest, that enough was for certain. But as for where, that was still an entirely different matter.

"We're in China," Will said, almost as if answering her thoughts. "And I must admit, honey, I didn't think you'd follow me this far. You would have definitely preferred fighting those Fire Benders," he said. "What a shame...Anyway, now we part. Goodbye, Sab-"

"Hold it right there!"

Before Will could say another word, he felt the cold steel of a sword's blade resting upon his neck. And attached to that blade was a warrior unlike any Sabrina had ever seen previously.

She was about their age, in her late teens or early twenties. She was Chinese, with two big black eyes and smug little grin, like she knew she was 'it.' Her hair was a deep purple, almost indigo colour, which covered her entire forehead in its large bangs, as it trailed down to below her waist. She was wearing a tiny, form-fitting red dress which didn't even go as far down as her hair, revealing her long, slender legs ending in a pair of auburn slippers.

"This man bother you?" the warrior asked Sabrina, as though they were good friends.

Sabrina nodded, deciding to play along, while enjoying the gulping sensation that Will was now having. "Yes. Thank you for helping me ring him in," she told her, giving Will a wink as she came closer.

"Shampoo kill him?" the warrior asked, presumably referring to herself in the third person.

"No, allow me," Sabrina said snidely as she placed his hand in hers, knocking him against the nearest tree. "Your sword, please?"

Shampoo hesitated for a moment, but eventually handed her the object. Sabrina took the weapon in her left hand, and turned back to Will. "Now, where shall I-"

***

"-stick this first?"

They were no longer in the forest. Instead, they had been transported to an open expanse of land, barren of any plant-life. Including the tree that Will had been propped up against.

Taking the confusion to his advantage, Will slipped out of Sabrina's grasp, and proceeded to run away. He was already three metres away before Sabrina could react. Which she did.

Her eyes grew dark, as she rose a decimetre above the ground, encompassed in a blue-green glow. She then vanished into this air, reappearing right before the fleeing Elite. "It ends here," Sabrina said, pointing the sword at his exposed throat, as she placed her right hand in his.

"You seriously won't let up," Will said, gulping once again. "Remind me not to take us to Amazon Territory next time."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Sabrina said sarcastically, sneering at the feeling of his hand intertwined with her own.

But before she could get another word out of her mouth, she began to hear a whirring sound coming from above, growing louder by the second as it reached their positions.

A helicopter!

It was one those big, blueish-grey helicopters that Team Oliga had used back in the Pokemon World. But if the words on the side meant anything, this one was run by something called 'Mithril.' Sabrina could see that it was meant for combat, and now that she thought of it, this lifeless environment could very well have been part of a war zone. But more importantly, what she could make out more than anything else were the three red dots which were now forming directly on her forehead.

BAMM! BAMM! BA-

***

Much to her relief, they had escaped from the incident as quickly as it had started. But still, _Will had intended to leave her in the middle of a war zone!_

"You idiot!" she shouted, kicking him to the ground. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Says the woman with the sword pointed at my chest," Will said, his eyes glued to the Amazon's weapon that had still managed to travel with them thus far.

"Who are you people?"

Sabrina looked from the corner of her eye at her surroundings. They were in a small rural town, once again with log huts, and people in old-fashioned garb.

"Help me!" Will called out to the villagers, hoping they would appeal to the victim given the situation. "She is one of Naraku's minions, a DEMON, I say!" he cried out, surprising Sabrina with his knowledge of the realm. The villagers were already beginning to murmur amongst themselves, falling for his cheap trick. "I was attempting to slay her when she stole my weapon and transported me to this place! You have seen it with your own eyes, haven't you!"

Which left Sabrina with no choice but to play the part.

Her eyes closed, as that blue-green aura once again began to encompass her body. She let the sword fall to the ground, as she quickly pulled Will up from the ground, keeping him tightly knit against her body. Her eyes then opened, revealing an ominous luminescent glow, which even Will had to admit looked quite demonic.

"If you kill me," she shouted out in a rough howl. "You kill this perverted monk as well."

"Perverted?" Will repeated her words. "Now that's just-"

"KILL THEM!" the villagers shouted in one collective shriek.

"WHAT?" Will cried out, as he saw the closest man rushing towards him with a pitchfork. "NO, THIS ISN'T RIGHT! NO! N-"

***

-O! NO!"

"That's it. I've had enough of your antics, Sabrina!" he shouted, once again releasing himself from her grip.

"What?" Sabrina asked mockingly. "I'm not your honey anymore?" she added, showing him her tongue.

They were once again in a seemingly modern realm. There were freshly cleaned, marble-like hallways, and they were surrounded on both sides by elongated buildings with flattened yellow-tiled roofs.

"I had wanted to leave you alone," Will said. "Let you live out your life in one of my realities. But I guess you won't take that."

"No," Sabrina responded without a moment's hesitation. "I won't take that."

"Very well, then," Will said, looking once again at their current surroundings. "This place is called Soul Society, you know. I suppose it fits...honey," he said, with what appeared to be an actual tear falling from his one visible eye. "As that's all you're going to be when I'm through with you: a soul."

"Hmphf," Sabrina said. "I'd like to see you try." And then she grinned. "Seriously," she said. "I would."

And with that, the Psychic Gym Leader stood there firmly, holding her left arm to her side, as within it she formed a spherical ball of blue-green energy. Likewise, she could see Will's eyes glowing with a flash of red-orange, as Pikachu's electrical energy began to pulse through his veins. He aimed his right arm in her direction, sending out a wave of electrical energy strong enough to knock out even a Garchomp.

But Sabrina was no longer there.

In the seconds it had taken to disperse the Thunderbolt attack, Sabrina had vanished, reappearing behind her opponent, where she then proceeded to push that Psychic energy into his back.

"Argh!" Will cried out, stumbling onto his knees.

But not quite! Before he was down, he took his right leg, solidified it, making it as hard, if not harder, than steel, as he attempted a backward kick in the Psychic's general direction. Sabrina took the hit, and was sent flying straight into the nearest wall. Will cringed against the sounds of brick and wood falling against his honey, but he knew that there was now no other choice.

"No other choice, eh?" Sabrina said, reading his mind. She was minorly effected by the collision, much to Will's surprise, brushing off some dust from her clothes before stepping right back into the alleyway to continue the fight.

It was then that Will noticed it. From the hole of debris found from where Sabrina had just plowed through, there were small, bluish-white objects seemingly breaking the very building apart and absorbing themselves into Sabrina's body.

She was absorbing the Spirit Particles! And what's more, she wasn't even aware of it!

But before he could muster another thought, she was on him like lightning! Within a tenth of a second of realizing that she can assaulted him yet again, he found himself pinned against the wall, with only mere centimetres separating him from life and death.

"Hey, you two over there! What are you doing?!"

The two Pokemon trainers stopped their quarrel, instead looking to the mad who had spoken. He was younger than both of them-at least in appearance, and he was wearing a long black robe with a white belt wrapped around his waist. His deep red hair was tied back into a spiked ponytail, with a grey-black visor positioned right above his two, thought-inspiring brown eyes. He also had a sword in his hands, unlike anything either trainer had ever seen. It seemed to be nearly as long as it's wielder was tall, with jagged spikes sticking out of the side facing Sabrina. If he intended to cause some trouble, boy could he cause some trouble.

"I said, what are you two doing? You woke me up from sleep, you know, so this had better be go-"

"SHUT UP! WE'RE IN AN EPIC BATTLE HERE!"

"SHUT UP! WE'RE IN AN EPIC BATTLE HERE!"

Sabrina turned, and looked to Will. Will turned, and looked to Sabrina. No matter what the end result of their feud had, they would still remember that they had screeched out the same reply simultan-

***

-eously.

Will had transported them again, most likely because he did not want any outside interference. [i]But still,[i] Sabrina thought. _What is he thinking?_

The two Psychics were now completely submerged in water. Looking upwards, all they could see was darkness. And looking downwards...

There was what seemed to be the ruins of an ancient society, lost for centuries beneath the waves. But no, it did not look 'ancient,' in that text. Whatever it was, wherever it was, it had to have been standing weeks, if not mere days ago. Large stone pillars, jewels of various sizes, shapes, and colours, and a chandelier, so large and stunning that it would have put almost any other to shame. But what caught Sabrina's eye the most was what she identified as an Oligan submarine, though like the helicopter, it had a different name on its side, in this case "Stati Uniti d'America." It was right there along with the wreckage, presumably flooded, with all of its passengers left for dead.

_This is the North Atlantic Mermaid Palace,_ Will said, speaking to her silently in her mind. _Your friend Rina's home._

Of course he wasn't trying to attack her, Sabrina soon realized. If he would have released one of his Electric attacks at their current depth, Sabrina would not be the only one to get fried. Yes, he seemed to have adorned the same weaknesses as the Pallet Town trainer's Pokemon, that was now definite. Sabrina contemplated on that idea for a moment, wondering if she could somehow take advantage of it somewhere down the line.

Though still, all he could do was to swim out of range, warp himself to the next reality, and leave her there to drown. And he would definitely not be getting that chance!

But to her surprise, and ultimately to her relief, this is not what Will did. Instead, he took her hand in his, and-

***

-and then he took a deep breath.

"Phew!" he sighed with relief. "I never want to hold my breath for that long again!"

They were no longer in Rina's underwater home. Instead, they were back in a forest, listening to the chirping sounds of the birds in the trees, and the swaying of the leaves in the light breeze.

"There, here we are again," Will said, grin once again forming on his face. "Shall we finish this?"

"Definitely," Sabrina responded, her plan already in motion when she began to see the first signs of the Pikachu's energy once again rushing through his system.

Like he had back in Soul Society, Will's eyes began to glow a red-orange colour, as the Thunderbolt was released from his right arm. But unlike the last time, Sabrina kept her ground, awaiting the incoming attack. She waited until she could briskly feel the energy seconds away from connecting to her skin, then unleashing a barrier of Psychic power, encompassing her body and keeping the electricity from coming through.

Then something that not even Will had envisioned.

"Poke ball, go!"

All in a matter of seconds, Sabrina grabbed an empty poke ball from her person, and chucked it towards Will. If her predictions were correct...

Yes! Upon striking the other trainer, the ball opened, as Will disappeared in a flash of red light. The ball then closed up, falling the short way to the ground below.

It rolled once....

It rolled twice....

It rolled...THREE TIMES!

Sabrina laughed, kneeling down to look at the fallen poke ball. "I caught Will!" she said aloud as she took the ball into her hand, wondering if he could even hear her from in that thing, while still shocked that it had actually worked. Will had gained the abilities of a Pokemon, strengths and weaknesses both. So then it seemed only logical that he could also be captured from within a poke ball, just like a Pokemon. He just didn't think that anyone would have ever thought to try it.

Oh, how wrong was he.

But then...nothing. Until that point, Sabrina could feel Will's presence from within the poke ball. But now...now...it was gone. Simply vanished.

"No," Sabrina said, astonished that she hadn't thought of it earlier. "He couldn't. He wouldn't..."

He had been able to move on to the next world, even from within the poke ball. And for the first time since their whole escapade had began, she wasn't with him....Once again, she was alone. Only this time, she was trapped in a strange universe that she knew nothing about. She had no friends here, no familiar faces....

No Will.

She looked around at where she was. It was a forest, that was for sure, but how far she was from the nearest human settlement, she did not know. There were just trees for as far as she could see. Not even a road sign, or anything to say that she was near any form of civilization. Until...

"Sabrina?"

She spun around, surprised that someone had recognized her in this faraway place, and surprised further of the fact that she had not been able to sense that someone's presence until she was nearly on top of her.

She was a woman, that was obvious. But that didn't matter to Sabrina, apparently, as she thought she looked simply stunning. Dressed from head to toe in black garments, from the fluffed scarf around her neck, to her stylishly long coat jacket, and even to her five centimetre high heels, everything was black. But her hair was naturally blonde, flowing down in waves, ending up even longer than Shampoo's, reaching to just below her knees.

SHIRONA!!!

Sabrina had remembered seeing her in videos and in newspapers about the Sinnoh Pokemon League. She was indeed the region's Champion, and one of the few female Champions to boot. Sabrina had already respected the woman without having ever laid her eyes upon her, but now, with her right in front of her...

"Are you all right?" Cynthia asked. "Your nose is bleeding."

Sabrina embarrassingly put her hand to her nose, finally noticing the blood herself. _It must have been from the fight with Will,_ she thought. He had apparently done more to stir her up than she had intended.

"Thanks," Sabrina said. "But forgive me, Miss Shirona, but...what in the world are you doing here?"

Cynthia actually laughed, causing a chill to run up Sabrina's spine. _Is this what it feels like?_ she thought to herself as the Sinnoh Champion began to speak. "That, Miss Sabrina, is what I have come to ask you. It's not everyday that you find a fellow Pokemon trainer out here in Konoha."

***

_Usagi..._

They had vanished, right there before her eyes. That man, Will, had leapt into the air along with Sabrina, and the next second, they were gone. And seconds afterward, four large bolts of lightning fell from the sky, bigger than anything she had ever seen.

Ami. Rei. Minako. And even Zoro. Each had been struck by an enormous blast of electricity-moreso than any human being could hope to endure.

"No..." Usagi said. But it was all she could manage. For the first time in her life, she was at a loss of words.

And then, almost as quickly as he had appeared, the masked man rematerialized on the centre stage.

Alone. Sabrina was nowhere to be seen.

Usagi...no, Sailor Moon, for that's who she was, who the world expected her to be, was all that was left.

Will did not even have a say a single word to lure her out. No, not anymore....

"For love and justice! A pretty soldier in a sailor suit!" she cried out, already in her Sailor Moon guise, raising her left arm to the full moon above, as she crossed her arms, forming her usual pose.

"Sailor Moon!"

By this time those in the crowd who had remained-which was remarkably quite a bit-began to shout and holler, praising the heroine whom had sworn to protect them for all those past years. The 'pretty solder in sailor suit,' as she had called herself, fighting purely for love and justice.

"I punish you in the name of the moon!" she shouted, to continue her regular chant. But the tears were already in her eyes, as she looked to the charred bodies of her comrades.

"No," she said, looking Will straight in the face. "I punish you in the name of my friends."

Her remarks were once again cheered on by the crowd, but Usagi didn't care about them anymore. As for the first time in her life, she did not care about love. She did not care about justice.

For all she wanted, right there, and right now, was one thing, and one thing only.

Revenge.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Bring it on, little girl," Will said nonchalantly, as the crowd booed him on. Many of them were still there watching his little escapade, and to his surprise, and ultimately to his pleasure, they were still under the impression that it was all just an act. Even with three of their scouts incapacitated, it seemed. Will couldn't help but laugh.

Usagi stood before him, now in front of the crowd, mere metre from where Will stood. She wanted so dearly to rush to her friends' sides, but she knew that she could not, must not, until the masked menace who stood before her was dealt with. Sabrina had said that she would be able to handle him, but something had obviously went wrong, as Usagi believed that their sudden disappearing act was not a part of her plan.

"Moon...Tiara...ACTION!"

Usagi removed her tiara, placing it in her hand as she began to twirl on the spot. But Will was already laughing at this point, failing to sit stupefied as he watched her attack. No, instead he had already leapt off of the stage, swinging his leg in the Sailor Scout's direction. Though Usagi could only continue her attack, waiting impatiently as the tiara began to glow like lightning. But it would not be ready in time....

But then...WHOOSH!!

A plume of fire, more intense than that of the thunderbolts earlier, flew out from the stage, headed straight for the Pokemon trainer. Will tried to pull himself out of the way, but the fire was just too powerful. Usagi could feel the air around her growing warmer, though she was amazingly out of its trajectory.

"Arghhh!" he cried out in pain as he fell to the ground with a loud clang. As the flames dissipated, Usagi could now see a frantic Will, rolling back and forth on the pavement. His trousers were still in a blaze, and his coat lay in a heap next to him, already singed beyond recognition. It wasn't until a golden aura enveloped his body when the flames finally ceased. At which point, the Pokemon trainer got back up to his feet.

His trousers were scorched and ripped at points, and Usagi could make out a metallic flash come from one of the rips along the bottom of his left leg. His white dress shirt was now stained with dirt and singed from the fire, and the red bow tie had disappeared, possibly with the coat. But what caught Usagi's attention the most was his face: shaggy purple hair which was no longer in place, an emotionless smile as he looked for his attacker, and a pair of eyes that were as different as night and day. His mask had also been removed in the bout, revealing the pure white, blinded eye that was beneath it. And next to it, the black pupil that he always showed to the world.

And before him, another man. He was young, in his late teens probably, but tall for his age. He wore a black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, and he had a head of black hair which nearly covered his eyebrows. And much like Will, he only had the one functioning eye, though in his case it was his right. His left eye, while perhaps not blinded, could only open to a fraction of the point which a normal one could. And around it was a deep brown and red burn scar, covering a third of his face.

He stood in a stance, his right leg stretched out before him, with his hands out in front of his chest. One of these hands was still covered in the flame that had struck Will earlier.

"Ah, Fire Lord Zuko," Will said to the man, who seemed to be caught off guard by his words.

"How do you know me?" he asked.

"Oh, I know everything," Will responded with a snicker. "You're the leader of the Fire Nation, a country once so filled with nationalism and pride. Until you came to power, and put an end to your growing empire. Alas, it would have been so much easier to take out your world had you not come into the picture..."

"My people do have pride in their country," Zuko responded. "As do I. Nothing you say or do can change that. Furthermore," he added. "My country has nothing to do with the situation at hand."

"No, I suppose you're right," Will said. "You're not here for your country. You're here because that sweet-talking cauliflower Mokona brought you here, yes."

Zuko nodded. "Though I'd say he's more like a Spanish onion, yes," he told him. "And as you've just confirmed to me, you do intend to come to my world. So I will stop you now, before you ever set foot on Fire Nation soil."

And with that, Zuko was done talking. He waved his hands before him, striking his previous pose as a blast of intense flames came shooting out from the outstretched palm of his left hand. But Will had jumped out of the way at near lightning-speed, using the same maneuver that sent him flying above the stage earlier.

Though Will had forgotten one thing: Sailor Moon had now had ample time to complete her attack. Her tiara, now glowing like the evanescence of magnesium. It struck right in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Though, as Usagi soon found out, that had not been enough to turn him into a pile of dust. All it did was send him crashing to the ground, cursing her along the way.

Zuko was not about to lose the opportunity, rushing for the Pokemon trainer before he had hit the ground, his fists already covered in flames. Which one flying fist, and then another, two smaller bolts of fire came his way.

...and Will vanished the moment the flames had struck his body, causing the flames to strike the grass that had been below him, leaving two dark singed circles of bare ground in his wake.

Zuko's eyes widened when he realized what had happened. He looked in both directions, trying to figure out where Will had went.

"Behind you!" Usagi yelled.

But it was too late. Before Zuko had the chance to turn around, he could feel the Pokemon trainer's iron-clad leg striking him in the head. Zuko cried out from the pain, before collapsing onto the ground in a heap. Will landed next to him with a loud thump, as his striking leg sunk nearly a centimetre into the ground.

But all the while, much to Will's surprise, Usagi was not standing there looking stupefied. Usagi had the power of the Toraifosu running through her veins, just as Will now had. And if she was going down along with her friends, she would be going all out.

"MOON CRISIS, MAKE UP!"

Usagi now stood there, appearing no different than usual, except for the fact that her skirt had mysteriously changed from a blue colour into a white, with yellow, green, and blue along the rim. Furthermore, she now also had an enlarged bow on the back of her uniform, stretching down to her knees. But most noticeable to Will was the sudden increase in power emanating from the woman.

_Well, it is one-on-one now,_ Will thought to himself, grinning. _Might as well make this a little more interesting._

He ran at the woman, fists clenched. Usagi ducked, as he came to a screeching halt. "Wrong move," he said, grinning as he swung his leg in her direction.

And missed!

Just like Will had done to avoid Zuko's attack earlier, Usagi had simply vanished, avoiding his Iron Leg attack.

"MOON SPIRAL, HEART ATTACK!"

Before Will could turn around, Usagi was already twirling around, and by the time he had turned around to face her, she was already on her knees with her heart-topped wand aimed to the heavens. It was emanating with sparkling lights, which came out of the wand, formed into a ball of spherical energy, and went flying straight for Will. And he was too close to dodge it then.

"Arghhh!" he cried out as he fell back, falling onto the ground. He yelled out a few more choice words, as he watched those unmistakable red boots come marching towards him. And while still on the ground, he looked up. There he saw not the face of the victor, nor that of the aggressor. No, what he saw was the face of a bereaved little girl, who had just been told that her parents would not be coming home that night. That they never would. But this particular girl was not crying for her parents.

"Was it worth it?" Usagi-no, Sailor Moon asked, wiping some tears from her eyes, as she grasped her wand, positioning it mere inches from the Pokemon trainer's head. "Was it really worth coming here, Will?!"

Will sat there, seemingly defeated. He did not have the speed advantage, that was already proven; he would not get the chance to harden again so soon, that much he knew; and his electricity had been jammed.

_Or was it?_ Will thought to himself, looking past Usagi's pigtails to the ever darkening sky above them.

Will began to chuckle, lowly at first, until it grew into an uproar of laughter. But before Usagi could let a word out about it, Will could feel the first raindrops splashing onto his exposed flesh. For what he had saw in the sky were none other than rain clouds.

_Oh so close, I could even touch you!_ Will thought, looking at the still pouting Sailor Scout. He wished he could end it right then and there, but he was still not powerful enough. He needed just a little more time.

"Well?!" Usagi asked once again, bringing her wand ever more closer.

"Oh yes, definitely," Will said, still seemingly defeated in Usagi's eyes.

And with that, Usagi could hear an explosion coming from the sound stage. And another. Another. Another. Soon the whole area was sealed in darkness, with only the green and red light from the Tokyo Tower raining down on them. The green light was raining down on Will, as he looked up to Usagi, wicked grin on his face.

"I've got what I've came for," he said.

And then...WHUMPFH!

Just like those that had fallen earlier, a tremendous bolt of thunder came crashing down onto Will's position, surging through his body, filling him with the much needed power that he was lacking all that time. And at the same time..._No!_

Usagi was gone!

Mere seconds before he had released his attack, a strange, orange-clad boy had leapt onto the scene, pulling Usagi out of the way. They now rested a few metres to his right, lying on the ground and looking up at the raincloud that had nearly spelled their doom.

"Come on, get up!" Naruto yelled, pulling Usagi to her feet.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Will chuckled, getting back onto his feet as well. "So, Mokona sent you after me, huh? Interesting. _Very_ interesting."

Once again glowing with the electricity that he had been missing, Will prepared for the final blow.

"Oh no you don't!"

Apparently the ninja wasn't alone.

She was tall, matching Will's height, if not exceeding it. Her long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, with two strands drifting in front, on each side of her face. And if not for the pink bow on her chest, and the green collar and skirt that she wore, she would have been wearing the same get-up as Miss Moon had.

_So, there was still one of you left,_ Will thought to himself, almost amusedly.

"Your opponent is me," Makoto said, as her arms began to crackle with the electricity that Will was so used to seeing coming from himself.

"NO!!!"

It was a perilous scream, filled with rage and sadness, empathy and regret. It was Usagi, back on her feet, being held back by the ninja who had just saved her life.

"Run away!" she called out, with the sound of crying still evident in her voice. "He's here for me. Stay out of it, Mako, and run, run as far away from here as you can." She then fell to her knees, as Naruto released his grip on her. "If one of you can survive this, then my...my death won't be in vain. Please, Mako...GET OUT OF HERE!"

Even through her tears, Usagi could see Makoto, having not moved a muscle, looking to her, and further on to where their comrades lie. And Usagi knew that no matter what she could say, Makoto would not run.

"You really think I could live with myself," Makoto said, stern look on her face. "If I sat by, doing nothing as you were subjected to this man's evil desire?!"

"I could not," she said. "I will not. SUPER...SUPREME...THUNDER!"

The electricity was surging through her body, and finally released with a thunderous roar, just as Will was sending off his own electrical energy. The two attacks swept over the crowd, causing hairs to stand on end, until they finally clashed, causing an even greater eruption of sound.

Usagi couldn't watch, yet she couldn't keep her eyes off of it, either. "Mako..."

The scout known as Sailor Jupiter was then no longer on her feet, lying sprawled on the ground in a crater, two metres wide.

"MAKO!!!"

But she knew she had to concentrate on other things right then. Will, while damaged by yet another attack, was still on his feet, albeit barely. His shirt was now gone, having been ripped off after being scorched with fire and zapped with electricity. And his violet hair was now draping over his forehead, fresh with the sweat from the battle. He did not have the inclination to lose the battle, that was evident.

"Get out of my way," Usagi said to Naruto, getting back onto her feet. Her eyes were closed, and tears were no longer falling. She held her wand before her, striking another pose. She lifted both her right leg and arm, aiming the latter at Will's exposed chest.

"MOON GORGEOUS...MEDITATION!"

A beam of intense white light shone from the wand, cutting the air like butter as it reached Will's position. Will, seemingly too exhausted to put any effort into dodging, held his left palm before the beam, stopping it in its tracks. Usagi's eyes widened, exasperated as to how little effort the Pokemon trainer had put into it. But what she did not notice was the surge of electrical energy traveling back in her direction, until...

THWACK!

A single red rose struck her wand, sending it flying to the ground before her. And as it did, Usagi could see the sparks crackling over it, just seconds from their target.

Usagi looked to the source of the rose. "Tuxedo Mask!" she called out, relieved to see that he was still all right, yet worried about what was yet to come.

There, mere metres from Will, was Mamoru, dressed in his black and white tuxedo, complete with cape, top hat, white gloves, and his signature white mask, covering his eyes. Much like that which Will wore before he was forced to abandon it.

"You dare to harm these maidens, these warriors of love and justice?" he said. "I will not allow you to-"

Will swung around and hit the man in the gut. "I...don't...have...the...time...for...your...interference!" he said through gritted teeth, as his final opponent fell to the ground.

Everything that happened after that went with a blur. Using Pikachu's Quick Attack, Will grabbed the now defenceless Sailor Moon, and brought her to the main stage. The crowd cheered euphorically, still under the impression that everything was still an act. That at the end of the night, Makoto...Ami...Minako...Rei...would get back up.

But that was about to change....

"Aaaaahhhh!" Usagi screamed, falling to her knees, as Will placed his hand onto her forehead.

Then, at long last, the crowd was silent. They watched in horror as their heroine's bright blonde hair transformed to a darker brown colour, then into grey, and finally, solid white. As her skin grew pale and wrinkled, as though she were aging at an unnatural pace. As the crescent moon on her face disappeared into nothingness. And at Will, whose exhaustiveness no longer seemed to show, as a yellowish hue began to surround his body.

And when the hue vanished, Will released his grasp, as Usagi's nearly lifeless body collapsed on the ground.

And then...WHAP!

Now it was Will's forehead to get struck, with a black and white tarot card nonetheless, with the kanji symbol for fire inscribed on it. Will went to take the thing off, but he suddenly found that he was no longer able to move. The orange-clad ninja-Naruto, as Usagi believed he was called-had taken his arms behind his back, and now had him face down on the stage floor. And if that was enough proof, the tarot card had been successful in sealing his powers!

Usagi looked down to the field below her, still managing to cling to life. She saw Ami and Minako, unconscious or worse, though still unable to move. And Rei, mean Rei, who, at some point during the battle, had managed to struggle to her feat, to create a seal for Will's immeasurable power.

But that did not matter to Usagi anymore. No, what mattered was that Sailor Mars had lived, and was standing there to prove it. Usagi knew she would not live long enough to see if her other friends had made it, too, but knowing Rei was around to fight another day filled her heart with something other than the despair that had been haunting it all night.

"Rei..." Usagi said, too low for anyone to hear. "You're alive...I'm so glad."

And then, her gaze turned blank.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

_several hours later_

Rei looked into the mirror. Her eyes were red, and there was a speckle of blood on her left cheek. Her tiara was crooked, though she didn't care. She looked like she had been up for days on end, where it had only been just a few hours. She was still in her Sailor Mars form, longer than she had ever been before, and she knew she wouldn't be going back to being Rei Hino any time soon.

And even when she did, she would never be the same again.

She was in the hospital, thinking how strange it was that their escapades had never brought them there before. Her friends had been brought there almost immediately after Will had been apprehended. She had been asked if she wanted to be treated as well, but she refused. She's rather they concentrate their time on her friends.

Will, who for the moment seemed restrained, was taken to a high security compound within the city. Rei instructed the officers to keep the tarot card on his forehead, and that she would be going there later in the day.

She made her way back to the emergency room where the other senshi were being held. They were still popular around those parts, it seemed, as they had been given a whole floor to themselves. Complete with an entourage of security personnel, who were intent on making sure their heroines remained free from the press. Upon seeing Rei, they parted, allowing her through. They did not say a word, though they bowed to her as she passed. They, like everyone else who had heard about what happened, were in shock, though they still managed to attain their sense of duty.

Rei would be no different.

There were four hospital beds, one in each corner of the room. First, she looked to Minako. She had a pulse, but she was still unconscious. And she had been treated for several second-degree burns along her arms and legs.

Ami was in a similar situation, though her burns were less severe. Though the doctors informed Rei that she had also suffered some internal damage, and that they would have to operate. There was a high chance of survival, they said, but of course it wasn't definite.

Makoto was in the best condition of the group, perhaps because she had been the victim of a weaker attack. She had some scrapes and bruises, and was still unconscious, but she was expected to have a full recovery.

But only those three of were surrounded by the doctors. The fourth had its occupant face covered with the bed sheets. Rei was there, moments earlier, as the doctors tried profusely to bring her back, but there was nothing they could do.

"Hi, Usagi," Rei said, sitting down next to her friend. "It's Rei. I...I'm sorry for anything I may have done to upset you," she began, thinking of when they were in the crowd earlier. Usagi so wanted to be with Mamoru that night, but Rei wouldn't let her. 'It'll destroy our ruse,' she had said. Though it would have been the last time those two would have been together....

"Sailor Moon."

They were always antagonizing each other, Rei and Usagi. Though it was all in good fun, as they were actually good friends, Rei was now thinking that she could have been at least a little nicer to her. It wasn't her fault that she was accident-prone, or horrible at math. And besides, she had many good qualities, like being there for her friends when they needed her.

She _had_ many good qualities. _Had._ Past tense....

"Sailor Mars?" a nurse asked, bringing her back into the material world. "The people you asked for are here," she said. "Would you like me to let them in?"

"No," Rei answered, getting up. "I'll get them."

Leaving the room, she became face-to-face with Kenji Tsukino, Usagi's father. He was of average height, wearing a black business suit with a red tie, and a pair of glasses that were too big for his face. At his side was his wife, and Usagi's mother, Ikuko, looking like she had just been pulled from the kitchen-which she probably had been. Her long blue hair was all over the place, and the yellow dress that she was wearing had some unrecognizable purple-coloured stain on the front. And finally, there was Usagi's little brother, Shingo, an obnoxious little ten-year old boy that always liked to bug his older sister. And he had just been pulled out of bed, it seemed, wearing a yellow t-shirt and a pair of blue pajamas.

"Sailor Mars?" Kenji asked, surprised to be in her presence. "You are the one who called us here?"

"Yes," Rei nodded. "I thought you all should be here right now."

"Where's Sailor Moon?" Shingo asked, joy in his voice. _He had always been a fan of Sailor Moon, hadn't he?_ Rei thought to herself. But he was so happy right then, to think that he would get to see Sailor Moon, not knowing what had happened yet. His parents blank stares as they politely told their son to shut up showed that they, on the other hand, knew what was going on. Or at least they _thought_ they did. But still, after being able to hold them back for the past hour, Shingo's words caused the tears to return, running down her cheek as she brushed them away.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino, and Shingo," Rei said, looking down to the boy, who was just now thinking that something was wrong. "I have something I need to tell you...."

***

She couldn't stay at the hospital after that.

She stepped outside, in her normal form at last, looking into the horizon, and at the rising sun. Such a sunrise had symbolic meaning in Japan, being the first of its kind of the new year. A year where the citizens of Tokyo would be without their champion of justice, Sailor Moon.

"No, not Sailor Moon," Rei whispered into the breeze, remembering her conversation with the Tsukinos. "Usagi Tsukino."

Setting out onto the street, Rei was surprised to see that the New Year's celebrations had been put to an early halt. But most of all, she noticed the front gates of the hospital.

There were flowers. Tulips, roses, daisies, daffodils, every flower one could imagine. And along with that, there were letters. Words of remorse, of hope, and of praise. There were crosses, and symbols from several other faiths. And all of this was lined up all the way down the street, and possibly the next.

"Rei!"

She turned, wondering who would be calling her name in such a place. It was Yuichiro!

"Thank God you're all right!" he called out, rushing to her side. And without thinking, he was hugging her, and also without thinking, Rei was hugging him back.

"Of course I'm all right," she said, feeling comforted by his embrace. For a moment there she was on the verge of breaking, but once she saw Yuichiro, she began to reassure herself. "Everything will be all right," she said aloud, not intending to.

"Rei, are you sure?" Yuichiro said again, brushing the hair out from around her eyes. He could now see that they were bloodshot, indicating that she was crying.

"Yuichiro, can you walk with me?" she asked, still not wanting to release her grasp from him. "There is something I need to do, and I don't think I can do it alone. Please, come with me?"

***

She told him everything.

Everything. About being Sailor Mars. That Usagi...that she was Sailor Moon. That she was now...that she was now...

Yuichiro didn't seem at all too surprised by her admittance. "You have always looked out for the little guy," he had said. "Now I know why."

Though, he was still a little surprised to see her transform before him, as they reached the police compound.

Where Will was being held.

***

Will opened his eyes.

He was blindfolded, with his arms and legs both strapped to the chair he was sitting in. And on his forehead, the tarot card that, unbeknownst to him as to how, was hindering his powers. He could not even manage to get a single hair to stand on end, no matter how hard he tried. The girl who had placed the seal on him was obviously quite powerful to manage it, in addition to being so amazingly skilled.

"AARGH!" he cried out, not knowing if anyone could hear him. He occasionally heard some footsteps in the distance, but they were behind walls, nowhere near him. Where was he? Was he being watched? What were they going to do to him?

Will did not like not knowing the answers to such questions.

It seemed like he had been there for days, sitting there without food or water, though it had only been for a few hours. Up until that point nobody dared enter the room with him, for fear of that choice being their last.

That is, until _she_ came.

Will could hear a door opening, as he felt another presence in the room at last. He then heard the clacking of high heeled shoes as his 'visitor' stepped up to face him.

"Will," she said. "That is what Sabrina calls you, is it not?"

Will laughed, almost glad to be conversing with someone again. "Ah, so you've met Sabrina, huh? Quite a feisty girl, that one. You can never get her to sit down and do what she's told."

"Well, I guess that makes us a lot alike," she said, pacing around him. Will wondered if she was perhaps another one of those Sailor Senshi, though he couldn't be certain until he could see her. Or if he somehow managed to get his powers back, which seemed unlikely at the given time.

"But I'm not here to talk about Sabrina," she said. "I'm here to talk about _you._"

Will laughed again. "Well, you may have my body secured, but my mind is still quite free," he said. "I won't tell you anything you want to know."

The woman stopped, and remained silent for a minute. Will thought he heard the sound of a droplet of water hitting the ground. Whoever it was in the room with him, she was definitely resisting the urge to gut him. And maybe, just maybe, that would be his key to getting out of there alive.

"Fine," she said, a bit of weariness in her voice. "Then let's talk about what we already know. Your name is William Itsuki, and you are a part of something called 'The Indigo League.' And, perhaps most importantly, you are not from this world, are you?"

"No," Will said, smiling. "In deed I am not."

"You also have some interesting animals with you," the woman added. "Nothing like anything we've seen here, on _this_ world. I believe you call them Pokemon, yes?"

"No, they're Yu-gi-oh!" Will said, surprised that he had subconsciously remembered the word from Bill's memory. Perhaps he still had a chance, after all....

"But while I'm sure you'd love to know all about my monster deck, how about I tell you a little something more interesting," he said. "Like how much I enjoyed killing your beloved Sailor Moon. My only regret is that it happened too quickly for my-."

He suddenly felt his chair getting kicked, as it went tumbling to the floor. He landed with a thud, banging his head hardly on the bag of his metal chair. And the room had suddenly gotten hotter. Much hotter. His blindfold had been jolted slightly, allowing him to get a glimpse at his opponent with his one good eye.

"You!" he gasped. "You're..." he searched his memory, looking for the name. But no, it was not there. His powers were still sealed tightly. But still, whomever she was, Will was sure that she had been one of those whom had been struck by his ultimate attack.

And she had lived to tell about it.

"Yes, I'm alive," she said. "We're all alive, Will," she added, lying.

"No, that's not true," Will said. "I've sucked the life force out of Miss Moon, and she is most definitely dead. Unless..." he let it hang. "Unless I were to reverse the process."

That stopped her cold. "What are you-?"

She was not able to get her answer.

The door swung open, as a wave of intense blue flames blew through, sending Will and his interrogator both flying against the back wall.

But more importantly, it blew that seal right off of Will's face.

***

Rei opened her eyes.

She was lying on her back in the prison cell, having been knocked out from the unanticipated attack.

"Well, well, well."

Her eyes widened, as she looked to the entrance way. And there, standing on his own two feet, was Will. And his seal was gone! His chair lay in shambles, having ripped like paper as he got free from it.

And at his side, there was a woman-presumably the one who had busted in there.

She must have been in her late teens, but the look in her crimson eyes made her seem decades older. She had dark brown, shoulder-length hair, which was almost black. And she was wearing a form-fitting, strapless red dress, hemming off at her calves.

"Who are you?" Rei asked, looking to her new enemy.

"Oh, that's right," she said, sly grin on her face. "How rude of me not to introduce yourself. I'm Azula. That's _Princess_ Azula to you, though."

"What are you, his girlfriend?" Rei asked, now trying to stall as she figured out how she could escape.

It was Will who answered, laughing. "No, of course not," he said, as Azula flinched at his words. "Though she should be here any minute, hehe."

By that time, she could see Will glowing with that distinctive yellow colour, obviously preparing for yet another attack. Rei would not have that.

"BURNING...MANDALA!"

She expanded her arms, calling forth a series of fire rings. She didn't think it could defeat both of them in one blow, but at least it was-

"MOON GORGEOUS...MEDITATION!"

Rei gasped at his words. For they were Usagi's words. Looking to his outstretched hand, she saw none other than Sailor Moon's heart-tipped wand. "Where the heck did you get that?!" Rei screeched, as she quickly dodged the incoming beam of light.

Then, the sound of rocks crumbling. Of electrical wiring being dislodged, and sent astray.

"It's time to go, Will!" Azula shouted, looking down the hallway with a definite look of fear in her face. "Leave her! We have to go, NOW!"

"All right, all right!" Will shouted, taking her hand in his.

And a split second later...they were gone. Simply vanished, right there before Rei's eyes.

It was at that time that the cause for Azula's fearful cries came into the room.

She had long, jet black hair. Denim jeans, with a silver belt wrapped around them. A pair of pitch black heeled boots. A sleeveless, violet top and a black leather jacket over top of it. And at her sides, what seemed to be a gun holster, a shuriken deposit, or, as was most likely the case, both. Though most surprising was the power emanating from her bodess, moreso than had ever come from her in the past.

Her darkened sunglasses his her gaze from Rei, but she still knew what she was looking for.

"Where is he?!" she exclaimed, looking at Rei. She had an obvious tension in her voice, as though she desperately need to get her hands on him.

"...Sabrina?"


	21. Chapter 21

Oh my, this chapter will be tieing up a lot of loose ends. And I mean a _lot_, XD.

And I would like to thank Mary for giving me a certain line that I've used in the chapter. ^_^

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Sabrina punched the wall.

"Darn!" she yelled out in frustration. Will was gone. After all the trouble she had went through to get there, Will was gone....

***

Konoha definitely lived up to its name, "Village Hidden in the Leaves".

Surrounded by forest on all sides, yet still encircled with a large wooden barrier, which remained guarded at all times. Though there was an open gate at the front, which also had a high security presence.

Cynthia didn't even stop walking, as she approached the nearest guards. They were wearing what seemed to be old-styled fishing jackets, though they were obviously not used for catching fish. They were also each wearing a headband, all with the same elm leaf symbol imprinted on them.

...Sabrina remembered that symbol! When she first arrived in Mokona's lair, she saw several skeletons, many of which had that exact same headband, with the exact same symbol. So, it meant they were from Konoha, Sabrina assumed.

"Hello, Miss Shirona," one of the guards said, nodding his head to the Sinnoh Champion. Sabrina couldn't help but notice the fact that the man could not manage to look the woman in the eye. As she stepped closer toward the city, Sabrina again noticed the other guardsmen shaking in their boots, or otherwise trying to keep their eyes off in the distance.

They saw Sabrina, and, not having seen her before, hesitated before letting her pass.

"Oh, you can let her through," Cynthia said. "She's my girlfriend."

And once those words were out of her mouth, the Konoha ninja broke. First it was youngest of the group, whose nose suddenly began to erupt with blood. Then another. And another. And another....

And then there was Sabrina, shocked by Cynthia's words. Though she did not suffer the same fate as the ninja, as her thoughts at the moment were slightly more honourable than theirs. But she still could not stop the blood from rushing to her cheeks. What was...what was Cynthia thinking?

"Come on," Cynthia said, taking Sabrina's hand-an act that had caused the remaining members of the security force to reach for their noses in dismay. "We don't have much time, Sabrina. And we have a lot to go over."

And once they were out of ear's range, "Sorry, but they'll be less suspicious of you this way."

Sabrina remained silent, unsure of the proper responce to make. Was this really Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh region? She seemed so...so...un-champion-like. But then again, when you live in a place where grown men can have thoughts like...like what she had sensed earlier...anyone could end up going crazy. Later, when things were more calmed down, Sabrina would have to ask Cynthia how long she had been there in Konoha.

***

The police were going wild over the apparent escape of a prisoner, but Sabrina managed to reassure them that he was no longer a threat. Whether they believed her, or if they even cared, well, that was another story.

The news of Sailor Moon's death had now traveled across the planet, along with Will's name. Sabrina almost felt sorry for the poor fool who shared his appearance in that universe-but then again, it was very likely that he was missing the scar that made her Will so noticeable. So she figured he would be safe from scrutiny. But alas, Sabrina did not have time to mourn, and neither did her new found comrades. Will's business in that world was already a thing of the past, and now he was most likely scheming to do it all over again, in a different universe.

Though he thought he had stranded her, keeping her from getting to him again. He was cocky, and he thought that there was nothing left in his way. After all, he had beaten four Sailor Scouts and three others single-handedly, while he was only in possession of _one_ shard of the Toraifosu. And now, as a result of that battle, he now had two....

But of course, he had not accounted for Cynthia...

***

"What is this place?"

"This is the Konoha Medical & Science Bureau," Cynthia said. "This is where I have been doing my research on the Toraifosu."

Yes, apparently Cynthia knew all about the Toraifosu, and about Will was attempting to do. She didn't exactly divulge how she came to be in the know, but Sabrina had her thoughts. Ash Ketchum, the Toraifosu-holder's trainer, had been traveling in Sinnoh for some time to have reached Snowpoint City. He must have crossed paths with the woman now by Sabrina's side. And Cynthia must have noticed something, much like Sabrina had, all those years before.

Focusing her attention on the facility, Sabrina thought that it looked a lot like a hospital, or perhaps some mad scientist's lair. There were people in white lab coats running about, several of which were wearing that leaf-cressed headband that Sabrina had seen before, none of them seeming at all worried about the two women amongst them.

As Cynthia led her through the halls, Sabrina could hear various noises. Some were screams of joy, others screeches of pain. Though the rooms had no windows as far as she could see, and the doors were sealed shut, so sound was all she ever got. _What have you been up to, Miss Shirona?_ Sabrina thought to herself as they neared their destination.

"We're here," Cynthia said, arriving at a door labeled with a series of symbols from a language Sabrina did not know. She opened the door, while Sabrina stood there curious, wondering whether there were screams of joy or screeches of pain in store for her as well.

***

Sabrina went to the hospital with Rei, and, much to her surprise, Yuichiro, the man whom she had attacked earlier at the shrine.

The other Sailor Scouts were still unconscious, and Ami was getting prepped for surgery. Not even Rei was allowed to see them at this point, frustrating her further.

Sabrina looked to her, still in her Sailor Mars form, staring out of hospital room window, looking down at the ever-growing stack of flowers. Sabrina could not relate to what she was going through, as she had never had any friends that she would consider close. Sure, there were her Pokemon, but no one person. She didn't like to admit it, but the person who knew her the most was probably Will. Which, right at that moment, sickened her dearly.

She looked around the rest of the room, looking one-by-one to those people who were also thrust into this little 'adventure,' if one could even call it that: Zoro, the pirate hunter whom she had seen in that wanted poster, pacing back and forth, his mind light-years away from the present; Naruto, the Konoha ninja whom Sabrina had recognized immediately, sitting calmly across the room from her, a meek expression on his face; Rina, the Mermaid Princess of the North Atlantic Ocean, sitting cross-legged on the floor, crying into the clenched fist that held her green pearl necklace; Zuko, a man capable of manipulating fire at his very whim, who now had an arm cast, standing against the wall closest to Sabrina, brushing through a local newspaper with murderous intent; Mamoru, also known as Tuxedo Mask, having not spoken a word 'since,' and looking so pale that Sabrina feared that he was near death, despite the fact that the doctors had said there was nothing wrong with him; and Yuichiro, perhaps the most unexpected member of the group, what with being a normal, human man still in his home universe, coming over to sit next to Sabrina.

"Sabrina, is it?" he asked, as Sabrina turned to him, acknowledging his presence. "Is she going to be all right?" he asked, looking over to Rei. Upon doing so, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her, until finally forcing himself to look back to the woman before him.

"She hasn't been treated," Sabrina told him. "But I think she'll live." She paused for a moment, knowing very well that that wasn't the answer Yuichiro was looking for. "I've only known him for a short time, you know, but I think she is a strong person. _Very_ strong. Just look at the effect she has on you."

Yuichiro's face shot a deep shade of red, confirming Sabrina's point. "If anyone can get through this..." she began, pausing as she looked once again to Mamoru. "Rei definitely can."

Yuichiro didn't seem to feel any better at her words though. "I hope so," was all he said.

***

It was a small satellite, or so it seemed.

Shaped like an elongated metallic Sharpedo, with two 'wings,' if one could even call them that, as they were so small, it stood at about 0.5 metres, with 1.2 metres at most across.

"It's a capsule," Cynthia said, answering Sabrina's unasked question. "Made with technology that is far superior to that found in this world."

"So..." Sabrina began. "It's come here from another universe, just like us?"

"Yes, it was found at the same site where you and Mr. Itsuki appeared," Cynthia said. "But not just that. Inside the capsule there were several notebooks in a language unrecognizable to me nor any of the people here. In addition to that there were several other objects, many of which we can't find any uses for, and others which are surprisingly familiar."

She motioned towards a table set up at the back of the room. One was a small black box, with four grey sockets in the front, along with the words 'Nintendo 64.' Beside that was an old laptop that had to have been nearly five years old, with the name "Sony" written on it. And beside that, a series of manga, the top one of the bunch having the image of a blonde boy with a pair of white gloves and a red cape, and a man in a suit of armour standing behind him.

'Fullmetal Alchemist' it was called. _Obviously a reference to the suit of armour_, Sabrina thought. Though still, what was the point in sending a capsule across the universal divide, just to send a few volumes of some manga nobody had ever heard of?

"There are a couple volumes of that manga," Cynthia said, noticing Sabrina eyeing it curiously. "All of them in that same language, unfortunately."

Sabrina stopped, and looked to Cynthia. _Had she been joking?_ No, she was serious. Upon realizing that, Sabrina could help but laugh. Her time in the Canadian League had finally payed off, or so it seemed.

"Miss Shirona, can you not speak English?" she asked, a chuckle in her voice.

And by the rosy complexion now covering the Sinnoh Champion's face, Sabrina knew that her guess was correct.

***

Sabrina looked up to find the pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro, standing over her. He had yet to change, as his white shirt was almost black, having been soaking in the mud for some time, and his pants and boots, which had already been black, were blacker. The green haramaki around his waist was torn, but otherwise wearable. He kept his swords positioned against the far wall, perhaps as a sign of trust towards the psychic trainer. Or possibly just because he was more exhausted than he would ever admit.

"Sabrina," he said. His eyes were dark, but sincere. Sabrina couldn't help but notice the determination in his voice. In fact, at the moment she was noticing a few more things about him, like his large, muscular arms, the way that he held himself, and..._No..._ she thought to herself. _What would Cynthia be thinking if she saw me like this?_

"Perhaps in another world," she said softly and inaudibly, before looking the man in the eyes. "Yes?"

"I don't know much about you, but it seems to me like you know this Will character, right?" After seeing Sabrina nod, he continued. "It is my priority is to return to my crew, but until that happens, I am yours to command." He finished his speech off with a slight bow of the head.

Sabrina was speechless for a moment, surprised by his words. "When I...disappeared, for lack of a better word...Will had taken me to several other universes, much like this one," she told him. "In one, we arrived in a place called Jaya Island."

That got Zoro's attention, as she knew it would. "While there, I saw a poster alongside a building. A wanted poster. With your picture on it."

Zoro laughed. "Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be a surprise. Our crew is rather famous around those parts, or so it seems."

"So you _are_ a pirate," Sabrina said. It wasn't a question.

"I will always be a pirate, miss," Zoro said as a smile spread across his face. "It's my nature."

_His nature,_ Sabrina thought, once again immersing herself in past memories....

***

Sabrina didn't know too much about the world she was in, but she could now guess that it was one in which the English language had not developed as much as it had in others, including her own. That is, if it even existed there to begin with.

And she couldn't really blame Cynthia for not knowing it, either. With the exception of the rather recent separation of the Republic of Canada from the Oligan Empire, only residents of said empire spoke the language. And Cynthia had lived all her live in the little northern Japanese island of Sinnoh, worlds away from the closest Oligan outpost.

"Well," Cynthia said, trying to get her complexion back to normal. "I guess I've found another reason why I'm thrilled to have you here with me, Miss Natsume." She was nearly giggling with excitement as she said her name, much to Sabrina's surprise.

"The manuscripts are here," she said, going to a drawer Sabrina hadn't noticed before. She pulled out a series of thick booklets, handing the top one to the Saffron Gym Leader. "Care to take a look at them, Swee-I mean, Sabrina." And once again, there was that blood-red colouring on her cheeks, Sabrina noticed.

Upon realizing that Sabrina noticed her reaction, Cynthia quickly turned away, but not before turning slightly redder. Sabrina shrugged it off, instead focusing on the manuscript. It was dogeared, looking as though it has been written over fifty years ago. The papers were browned, though the writing was still legible:

_August 31st, 1939_

_The air is cold, the grass, wet. The sky is filled with storm clouds, ready to erupt with rainwater at any minute. But what's nagging me the most is not the coldness of the air that I breathe; what worries me are the whispers traveling through it. Whispers of pain. Of sorrow._

_Of hate._

_This world, my brother's and my own inherited home, is not what it used to be. We are on the verge of war._

It went on like that for awhile, describing the events that were going on, in both personal and larger-scale degrees. Sabrina recognized most of the regions that were mentioned, though some were slightly different from those she knew of in the Pokemon world. Germany, France, and Italy seemed to be independent nations in the author's world, and that 'United Kingdom' had to refer to England, or possibly Ireland. There was no mention of the Oligan Empire, causing Sabrina to believe that it did not exist in that world.

But what caught her attention more was the fact that even the author seemed to be naming these places as though they were alien to him as well. "A place called Japan," Sabrina read aloud, proving her theory to herself. Which could only mean one thing....

_When you see me you'll probably just see a fifteen year old boy, without a care in the world. But I am not a child, and I haven't been for quite some time. Ever since that night...._

_But that is a world away. I'm not sure how, or why, that my brother and I found ourselves to be in this world. But what I do know that it is our home now. This world's problems are our problems now. We can't let ourselves think that we are onlookers to this mess. We are a part of this mess, and we always will be._

_There is no turning back. We are here, and here we shall remain._

It was signed _Edward Elric._

Sabrina turned the page.

***

Sabrina walked to the window, standing at Rei's side. She looked out the window, where a series of reporters remained stationed just beyond the myriad of flowers and other well-wishes for the Sailor Scouts.

"Rei, why don't you sit down, get something to eat?" Sabrina asked. No answer.

"You girls have a lot of fans," she said, trying once more. "Even the-."

"I saw her," Rei said abruptly.

"Saw who?" Sabrina asked, puzzled.

"When Usagi...when Usagi..." Once the words were out of her mouth the tears began again. But at this moment she didn't care. She turned to look Sabrina in the eyes. "I saw her rise from herself-her spirit, I suppose, being released from her body. I've never seen it happen before, but I swear to you, I saw it."

Sabrina remained silent for a moment. But then she said. "Some psychics have been known to witness these things," she said, remembering something her father had told her, long, long ago. "Usually those with strong bonds to the person, like yourself."

"That is not all I saw," Rei then said. She then described a man. Long black robe, spiked red ponytail, wearing a dark grey-black visor.

Sabrina remembered that man. She had only seen him for a few seconds, but it had been enough. That description had been right-on.

"What does it all mean?" the Sailor Scout asked, hoping that Sabrina had the answers, yet knowing that she did not.

Sabrina shook her head, not having the right answer for the girl. "Time will tell," was all she said.

Then, "I'm going with you."

Sabrina turned, surprised by her sudden change of subject.

"Not for revenge, I've already decided that," she said, looking out of the window. But upward this time, towards the clear blue sky. "I am a Sailor Warrior, and I will remain as such. Will, and that Azula of his, are enemies of this world now. They have tampered with our peaceful existence here, and if they aren't stopped, they'll return, correct?"

Sabrina had no answer, just an assumption. But that was enough.

"So, with your permission, Sabrina, I would like to remain by your side," Rei said. "I have the best chance of meeting up with _him_ again if I stick with you. And I shall protect this world, with my life if need be."

By this time Sabrina knew that there would be no words that she could say to change her mind.

"And by that time," she added, turning back to face Sabrina. "I'll be stronger. Much stronger."

***

"Greetings, Miss Shirona."

"Hello, Lady Tsunade."

Cynthia and Sabrina were now meeting with Tsunade, the Hokage, or leader of Konoha. She seemed awfully young to be able to wield such power, but Sabrina didn't question it. After all, it wasn't her place to question the traditions of another country, let alone another world. She was of average build-that is, except for her chest, which was slightly more noticeable than usual. She had long, blonde hair and a pair of golden brown eyes. She had on a green cape-like garment, over top of a grey and black robe. There was a navy blue haramaki around her waist, and a similarly coloured pair of pants, ending with a pair of two-inch high heels.

"Is this her?" Tsunade asked, her facial expression being the only part of her which gave away her position.

"Pardon?" Cynthia asked. She hadn't mentioned the Psychic Gym Leader to the Hokage prior.

"I just had a chat with one of the guards from the city's north entrance. He had to be relieved from duty for the remainder of the week, due to some blood loss."

"Oh, my..." Cynthia said, attempting to keep a straight face. "I hope he'll be all right."

"Oh, he'll be fine," Tsunade said, grin on her face. "Yamato's gotten out of worse. But of course, he did happen to mention to me that you had brought your 'friend' to the city with you this time."

"Yes," Cynthia said, somehow managing to keep her cool. That is, behind that bright-red face of hers. "This is Sabrina."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Sabrina said, bowing her head to the Hokage.

"Now," Tsunade, once again looking serious. "What have you found out about the object?"

***

Zuko was the next to come to Sabrina. He was back in his country's uniform, an auburn cloak with yellow trimming around his wait and arms, with a black jumpsuit visible underneath. Sabrina could see the scar across the left part of his face, but she wouldn't dare ask him about it. It more than likely had some bad memories to go along with it.

"I apologize if I sound rude," he began. "But I couldn't help overhear your conversation with that girl earlier."

"And?" Sabrina asked.

"And...Did she say 'Azula?'"

"Yes she did," Sabrina responded. "That's the name of the woman who broke Will out of prison. Why? Have you heard of her before?"

"Yes," Zuko said, looking to the ground. "She's...my sister."

He told Sabrina about what had been happening recently in his world. About how Azula had been deluded by her father's horrendous ideals, and how she had nearly single-handedly gotten control of the world. About how it ultimately led her to insanity.

"I don't know how she did it, but I can guess at why," he said. "But she's on the loose again, and more determined than ever. And if she's joined forces with that man you call Will, there will be...trouble. Lots of trouble for us."

"Us?" Sabrina repeated his word.

"You plan to chase Will wherever he goes, don't you?" Zuko said. "I can't start to understand what it is you people can do, traveling between universes the way you do."

"I don't even understand myself," Sabrina interjected.

"But when you find Will, my sister is bound to be around," he continued. "And I shall stop at nothing to hunt her down. So, Sabrina, you have my word: until I find Azula, and put a stop to her once and for all, I will follow you, and you only. You have my word as Fire Lord, I will follow you."

***

"...someone named Edward Elric, who claims to be something called an 'alchemist.' There are several equations in these manuscripts, which we believe we can use to-."

"Lady Tsunade, Shikamaru has arrived!" Sabrina turned to see the ninja who had interrupted her, who seemed much like those who were guarding the entrance earlier.

"What!? Already!?" Tsunade definitely seemed startled by the news. "Okay, send him in. I apologize, Miss Shirona, Miss Natsume, but I cannot let this wait. Could you please wait in the other room there? This will only take a few minutes, trust me."

"Of course," Cynthia said, bowing her head, as she led Sabrina into the 'next room.'

"Um, wait, that's the-" Tsunade began. But it was too late.

Sabrina looked around, to find that she was in a small, dark, enclosed room.

"Oh dear, this isn't the waiting room," Cynthia said, sweatdropping.

"Cynthia, are you in here?" Sabrina asked. "I can't see you."

"I'm right next to you," Cynthia said back. "I can feel your...I can feel you standing behind me."

"What?" Sabrina asked, looking downward in the dark. "Ack!" she yelled out, attempting to back away. But instead, she just ended up tripping over a mop, and falling right towards the Sinnoh Champion.

"Whoa! Don't worry, I've got you," Cynthia said, grasping Sabrina in her arms. Though Sabrina had already gotten too close for comfort, having got a whiff of those golden locks in her face, and she was pretty sure that her nose had brushed across Cynthia's.

Or rather, she hoped it was her nose.

And then, the door opened.

"Hello, there. You can come out of the closet now, dears." It was the Hokage, Lady Tsunade.

Then a worried expression spread across her face. "Miss Natsume, are you all right?" she asked. "Your nose...it's bleeding!"

***

Sabrina sat down on the floor, next to Rina. She was sitting cross-legged, crying into her clenched fist. Inside that fist she held her necklace, the one containing the pearl that allowed her to transform into her Green Pearl Voice form.

"It was useless," she said, tears running down her face. "Useless..."

Sabrina placed her hand on the mermaid's shoulder, hoping to comfort her somehow.

"The power of the pearls has been enough to protect the mermaids for centuries. We sometimes needed to combine their power, and as difficult as that was, it always worked. But now I've realized something: this time things are different. The pearls are not enough to save us anymore...."

"Maybe not," Sabrina admitted. "Or at least, they alone cannot save us. I heard about what you did back at the beach, Rina. If not for you Zoro may have been defeated then and there. You may not be able to fight Will head-on the way the rest of us have, but I believe that your supporting us has been just as hindering to his plans as anything else, if not more so."

"In fact..." she began, debating whether she would say what she was about to say. "I may just envy you, Rina. You do not have to fight to be worth something."

"Thanks," Rina said, taking the psychic's words to heart, though still questioning their merit. "But still, I will learn. I will become better at what I do. I will not disappoint you, Sabrina."

Sabrina left it at that. She knew that that wasn't all on the mermaid's mind, though she wasn't about to question her on it. In time she'd learn the truth, but at the moment Rina had to deal with her past on her own.

As did Sabrina.

***

"Miss Shirona, I've just received word of the mission," Tsunade said. Her words definitely got Cynthia's attention, and as a result, Sabrina's.

"Hinata was found unconscious in a cave, not fifty kilometres from the place of impact. The state of her injuries are currently unknown, but she is still alive. As for the rest of the team, most of them have returned here safely."

"Mostly?" Cynthia repeated the word the Hokage had used.

"Yes," she responded. "Naruto is still missing."

"Naruto?" Sabrina said the name aloud. "That orange-clad kid with the spiky blonde hair?"

This time it was Sabrina's turn to have all eyes locked in her direction. "You've met?" Cynthia asked. "I thought you just arrived here this-."

"I saw him, though we've yet to meet," Sabrina said, certainty in her voice. "But I didn't see him here. In this world, I mean."

There was a long pause after that.

"Are you telling me that Naruto was sent to another dimension?" Tsunade demanded of the psychic.

***

Sabrina glanced across the room, at the boy she had described to the Hokage.

"Naruto," she said his name aloud.

He looked, as if to wonder how she knew his name.

She looked at the headband that he was wearing. It seemed so out of place there in the hospital room, though just a few hours earlier it was her who was out of place, being the only one _without_ one. Well, besides Cynthia that is.

"You're from Konoha, aren't you?" she asked. Before the ninja could ask where she had gotten her information, she continued her tale, telling him about what had happened after Will had disappeared with her. About meeting with Tsunade, and Cynthia.

"What about Hinata?" he asked. "Did they find her?!"

Sabrina recalled what the Hokage had told her. "Yes, I remember that name. Last I heard she was unconscious, but still alive."

"Thank god," Naruto said, resting his head against the wall. "I...I...I thought I had lost her."

"And there's one more thing," Sabrina said, pulling out a piece of paper from a pocket in her jacket. She handed it to him.

Naruto took it, looking it over. His eyes turned pure white, as a frown appeared on his face. And then he began to laugh. "Oh yeah," he said, letting the paper fall to the floor. "I wasn't sure if I believed you at first, but yeah, that definitely came from Granny Tsunade."

Sabrina looked at the paper, now lying on the floor, to see what had been so convincing:

_Your like any normal stupid no-brained male! Just because a woman has boobs, you think she has no brains! Learn to respect your fellow ninjas, or you will never be a Hokage._

"So, where are we off to next?" he asked Sabrina. "I guess you're the boss, haha."

***

"Oh Sabrina, you're so cute!"

"Whaa...?" Sabrina began, a red hue beginning to appear on her face. It wasn't really something one would expect to see coming from an Elite Four member, let alone the Champion herself. Especially if said Champion had just dodged a shuriken that had come flying at her at such a speed.

There she was, standing atop of a tree branch, which had to have been nearly six to seven metres above the ground. She was adorning a pair of black capris, which, despite the fact that she had been bustling through the treetops for the better part of an hour, seemed like they had just come out of the dry-cleaners, and a sleeveless black top, which fit her perfectly. Her full-length golden hair was currently falling to her sides, having been swept upwards from her jump into the tree. And the smile on her face was something out of a fairy tale, reminding Sabrina of the time when she first met her Haunter.

"That was very good," Cynthia said. "But I know you can do better than that." She looked to the jagged weapon lodged into the tree trunk by her side, looking down at Sabrina. She was down on the forest floor, not one hundred metres from where she and Will had first entered that world. She was wearing a pair of jeans, and a violet top with a black leather jacket over top of it. "You're just using the power that comes with your throw. But you are a psychic, Sabrina; your prowess does not come from physical attacking."

Sabrina thought about that for a moment. She was breathing heavily, wondering how Cynthia had gotten to her treetop position so quickly.

Yes, she was a psychic, and thus she relied on special attacks. _But then, why are we out here playing with sharp throwing objects? Unless..._

"Okay," Sabrina said. "Let's try this again."

"Yes," Cynthia said, leaping to the ground in a single graceful leap. "Let's. But first, how about you wipe that blood off of your nose?"

***

Sabrina looked around the little room. What she saw were five people, each from a different world, all willing to follow her.

"So, what is it exactly that we have to do?" Zoro asked, looking to the psychic.

"Umm..." Sabrina said.

"She doesn't know," Naruto said. "Isn't that right, Sabrina? If you knew, we'd be long gone by now."

But before she could answer the man, their question was answered, as a brilliant orb of bright light suddenly appeared before them, almost as if it had simply materialized there from nothing.

But Sabrina knew better. What had happened was that it had come from another world. And as the light diminished, she soon realized that she was correct.

"Mokona!"

It was a small white creature with what seemed like Buneary ears, only longer and floppier. It was also slightly chubbier, and with a red jewel planted in the middle of its forehead. It was the kind of creature some people would consider "cute."

Sabrina had a different word in mind.

"Is everyone ready to go to the next world?" Mokona asked. The puff-ball wasn't too interested in small-talk just then, it seemed.

Zuko nodded his head. "I'm ready."

Naruto got up out of his seat, and stood next to the Firebender. "I'm ready."

Rina was up as well, her tears long since dried up. "I'm ready."

Zoro, after taking his three swords in his hand, stepped over to join the group. "I'm ready."

Sabrina shut her eyes, accepting the fact that she would soon be getting closer to Will again. "I'm ready."

But there was still one other member of the group. And she was yet to join the others.

"Please," Rei said, looking to the others. "Can I have just one more moment here, please?"

***

Mamoru had left the room earlier, and Rei didn't know where he had ventured off to. But he wasn't the one she was looking for.

"Yuichiro!"

She finally found him, out on the rooftop. He was leaning against the side of the building, looking out into the sky. It was still early in the evening, but the first stars could be seen up above the city.

He stopped, hearing her voice. He turned to face her, solemn look on his face. "Hello, Rei."

She couldn't help but be glad to she him, and even moreso, to be standing there as Sailor Mars, and still have him address her by her real name. _Rei._

"We are...we are..._I_ will be leaving soon," she said, looking down to the ground. For the first time that she could remember, she could not manage to look him in the eyes.

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"For how long?"

"I don't know."

"Will I..." he stopped, pulling back a tear. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I...I don't know."

Yuichiro took her hand in his, and pulled her close. For once, he was not feeling awkward being close to her. It may have been because he was so caught up in the moment, knowing that there was a very big chance that this would be his last chance to see her, to hold her, to....

It was his chance to come up with some line, anything that would put her mind at ease. But that wasn't him. He wasn't a poet, nor an author of any kind. All he knew were his feelings, so they would have to do.

"I love you," he said.

Rei heard his words, taking them in. And no, she was not surprised at all. Yuichiro had always been there to comfort her when she needed it. She had been mean to him, oh so mean, throughout their time at the shrine together, but despite all of that, there he was, still at her side.

And she had to admit, she wouldn't want it any other way. "I love you, too," she said. "Yuichiro."

Before they even knew it themselves, he was kissing her and she was kissing her, and to either of them, at that one moment, nothing else in the world mattered. Just the love that they had for each other, those two seemingly insignificant specs sitting there on a hospital rooftop in downtown Tokyo. At that moment, it didn't seem that the fate of the world rested in their hands, no. At that moment, they were just a young couple, like any other one would see at the movies, or taking a stroll together at the local park.

Just for a moment.

Rei stepped back, looking to Yuichiro one more time. "I have to go now," she said.

And then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. Yuichiro went back to the roof's edge, looking up at all the new stars filling up the ever darkening sky.

"I will see you again," he whispered into the wind. "Sailor Mars."

***

"Okay, I'm back!" Rei called out, entering the room.

"You took long enough!" Naruto whined, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I'm ready now," she told him, as she looked to Mokona.

"Okay, all are ready now, Puu!" it yelled out in a way-too cheerful tone. "Everybody, hold hands!"

"What?" Zoro asked. "I'm not exactly one to-."

"So we appear in the same place," Sabrina said. "Otherwise we'll end up all over creation, just like this time."

"Huh? Oh, fine then."

And with that simple exchange of words, they were gone. The world that the Sailor Scouts called home was already a distant memory, as thoughts of what new experiences they'd be finding in the next world filled the travelers' minds.

All except for one.

"Goodbye, Sailor Moon," Sabrina said. "May you find eternal peace."

Once her eyes were opened again, she would be in a different world. A different reality.

One that would definitely not be falling to Will.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Sabrina opened her eyes.

She was outside, in a forest of some kind. She could hear the birds chirping in the trees overheard, and she could smell the scent of flowers poking their heads out after the past night's rainfall.

But when she looked to her companions, they were all she could then think of.

"Whaa...?" she looked around at them, and then at herself.

She was definitely closer to the ground than she was used to. When looking down at her feet, and soon to the palm of her hand, she noticed that they too were smaller than usual, and slightly chubbier. _Have I shrunk _and _gained weight at the same time?_ she thought to herself.

She then took her hand up to her head, and quickly pulled it away.

Her eyes were just as big as her hands!

"What's happened?" she said aloud. "Is this some side-effect of traveling between worlds?"

"No." It was Rina. She was standing just across from Sabrina, her long seaweed green hair falling nearly to the ground, and her two bright green eyes looking as large as baseballs. "We have been chibified."

"Huh?" Zoro asked, feeling his face. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" His trousers now seemed a little too big for him, and his three swords clunked along the ground behind him, nearly as long as his body was tall.

"We won't be in this world for long, will we Sabrina?" Naruto asked. Sabrina couldn't help but laugh when she saw him, thinking he had been 'chibified' the most. His blonde hair was everywhere, somehow making him appear as a young child.

"Hopefully not," Zuko said. He was sitting there, looking as disturbed as the others. His shaggy black hair seemed to be bigger than usual, nearly covering his eyes. And speaking of eyes, the burn mark on his left eye was nearly unnoticeable, thanks to the sudden increase in ocular circumference.

"This is where we're supposed to be?" Rei thought aloud. It was her first time in a different world, and she was beginning to wonder if they were all like that. Like Rina, her hair was nearly at the ground, and her eyes had grown larger than she was accustomed to. And her exposed legs were somewhat chubbier than normal.

"I assume so," Sabrina said. "Let's just take a look around, see where we are. Try to blend in."

After some further investigation, she determined that they had appeared in a park on the edge of the city. As for which city that was, they still didn't know. Though, like she had in her previous reality, Sabrina couldn't help but feel something familiar about the place.

Apparently she wasn't the only one.

"We're in Saitama," Rei said, already getting accustomed to her chibi-self. "I was here with my grandfather last month."

"No, you weren't," Sabrina said. "You were in an alternate version of Saitama. This place may not even share that name, as..." she began, noticing a Starbucks where the Pokemon Centre should have been. "I believe this place is called Cerulean City where I come from."

But while they had figured out where they had ended up, they were yet to know why.

Then...CLASH!

It was Zoro. He had taken one of his swords, slicing open a newspaper box.

"Now what did you go and do that for, man?!" Naruto cried out, more shocked than worried.

"It wouldn't open," Zoro said, picking up a paper.

"That's because you have to put money into it," Rei answered, sweatdropping.

But Zoro didn't care. "If you want to know what Will is planning, it's in our best interest to see what's going on around here."

Sabrina agreed, picking up one for herself. _It was the method she used to find Sailor Moon, after all._

"Al Gore defeats Dick Cheney," was the cover story. Just like had been the case with the other paper, it was talking about the recent American election. But, unlike the last paper, the names were completely different. Though Sabrina didn't really care about American politics. She was looking for something a little closer to home.

Flipping through the pages, she found an interesting story regarding the recent independence of the state of Australia; an editorial on the outbreak of beaver flu in Canada; and a report regarding India's first attempt to send a satellite into orbit, making it only the second country capable of doing so. With the first being Japan.

According to the article, the Russian Federation and the UASS were each attempting to send people into space, but they ceased their efforts when on February 24th, 1974, Masuda Izumi became the first person to set foot on the moon.

And as intriguing as that was, that wasn't what she was looking for. In fact, after going through the paper from end to end, nothing extraordinary popped out.

Except...She turned to the front page again, at the image of the new American president. Of course!

"He's chibi! Everyone in this world is chibi!"

"You mean..." Zuko began. "That's what the Toraifosu is doing to this world?"

Sabrina nodded. "What else. Everything else is shockingly normal. No pirates, no magical girls, no psychics. Just lots and lots of chibis. That has to be it."

Zoro sighed, while attempting to hide a yawn. "Great, just great. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I preferred the magical girls."

"What was that?" Rei and Rina both said in mock sincerity. They were staring him down, fire in their eyes.

"Okay, let us just concentrate on the situation at hand," Sabrina said, sweatdropping. We have to find something that'll lead us to W-."

"Sabrina!"

She spun around, wondering who in the world had been able to know her name. What she saw was a young woman with deep brown eyes and braided black hair. She was wearing a white blouse with a blue ribbon adorned on the front, along with a short tan-coloured skirt and a cyan jacket wrapped around her waist.

"Candice?" Sabrina couldn't believe who she was seeing. First Cynthia, and now her? What exactly was the Sinnoh League up to?

"Oh, you recognize me! That's awesome!" she said. "You on your way to the 'con?"

"Why, yes we are!" Sabrina said, attempting to play along, while she had no idea what a "con" was. She put a nice big smile and faked a sigh. "But we seem to have gotten lost. I don't suppose you could show us the way?"

"Why, of course!" Candice screeched out, a little louder than necessary. She then looked to Sabrina's comrades. "Wow, you have quite an assortment of people, here. Oh! Oh!"

Before Sabrina could ask what was wrong, Candice had ran to chibi-Zoro's side, her eyes filled with sparkles."Oh my god, oh my god! This is like totally the best Zoro costume I've ever seen!" She then made a sound that Sabrina would later learn to be something called a 'fangirl squeal,' before asking if she can take a look at his swords. A request that Zoro impolitely declined. But upon hearing his answer, all he got was another squeal, followed by a "You totally sound just like him!"

Then, as they all started out for the 'con, Zuko whispered something into Sabrina's ear. "The fact that she recognized you may very well be a coincidence," he said. "But Zoro as well? I think not."

Sabrina nodded in agreement. Something weird was going on, and while at the moment she had no idea what it was, she knew that that would soon change.

***

The 'con, as Sabrina soon found out, was a gathering of individuals of various walks of life, in what appeared to be the Cerulean City Gym.

There were tables set up throughout the gym, with various items placed on them. Several posters, a bunch of stuffies, and a whole lot of manga. But what caught her eye at the moment was a table selling trading cards.

But not just any trading cards: _Pokemon_ trading cards.

"Oh, you have great taste, Sabrina!" Candice squealed, running over to the table. "And they're rare ones, too. Look!"

Sabrina looked at the card that Candice had picked out of the bunch. She looked at the card in amazement, as she read the name aloud. "Sabrina's Alakazam."

Something weird was definitely going on there. Though Sabrina was yet to realize what....

***

"Interesting. Very interesting."

"What is it, Shefirudo?" Will asked.

Unbeknownst to Sabrina and friends, Will had arrived at the anime conventions about a half hour earlier, along with Shefirudo, one of his newly obtained followers. Azula had practically begged him to take her with him, but Will declined. "I don't intend to confront them just yet," he had said. "This is a reconnaissance mission. I can use my Moon Power to conceal my identity, but if your brother or that ninja see you..." he added, not finishing his sentence.

While she did not like the idea, Azula agreed. So instead he brought Shefirudo with him. She was a servant to a man named Joseph, King of Gallia, a nation from her world. She came to Will's attention because of her mysterious ability to be able to use any magical item in her possession without any prior instruction. And of course, she was beautiful.

Tall and slim, with deep purple hair trailing nearly to the ground. She wore a form-fitting violet bodysuit, along with a black cloak covering up most of the suit. Her skin was pale, most likely because she didn't venture out in the daylight too often. And her face seemed to be devoid of any emotion, and her make-up didn't help that any. She wore a shade of purple lipstick which was even darker than her hair, and her eye shadow was covering even more of her eyes than usual, stretching down to make two tearline-like streaks directly beneath both of them. And there was the insignia on her forehead: it was usually hidden with her bangs, but every now and then Will could catch a glimpse of some foreign characters there, radiating with an unnatural glow.

But she was beautiful. So much so, that she constantly reminded Will of his own beauty in the Pokemon world-that same beauty who was now just across the room from him, looking at trading cards of all things.

"This is me," she said, indicating a picture from a manga volume she had picked up. Will looked to the image himself, and sure enough, she was right. There was a drawing of Shefirudo, standing on the shoulder of a giant rock monster, smiling wickedly as that insignia on her forehead was exposed.

"And I remember this moment," she told him. "It happened roughly two years ago in my world."

"Oh yes, very interesting," Will said. "This must mean that some regions of the multiverse are closer to others than we may think."

"Not just that," Shefirudo said, picking up another manga volume, entitled 'One Piece.' "This is our pirate friend, is he not?" she asked, referring to the image of Roronoa Zoro on the cover. And before Will could say anything more, she had shown him similar illustrations of Naruto, Rina, and Sailor Mars.

"What could this all mean?" Will pondered, flipping through the evidence.

"Well, I have a theory," Shefirudo told him. "But I can't be sure."

"Just tell me," Will said, not liking to be in the dark.

"Well, if I'm right, it's something like deja vu," she said. "For example, while I have never set foot in this world before today, there may very well be another one here in my likeness. Identical in every way to myself, with the exception of past experiences."

"Yes, yes, we've already proved that," Will said, beginning to get annoyed. "What does that have to do with this, though?"

"It may be possible that because we are so similar, our subconscious, or dreams, if you'd prefer, sometimes cross over to our other selves. And these people in turn end up recreating their alternate selves' lives, in the form of fiction. Much like this manga. But master," she continued. "I cannot be sure of this. Not without further tests."

"Very well," Will said, once again looking to Sabrina. If Shefirudo was right, which he believed she was, then that meant that there was possibly an infinite number of Sabrina out there. Perhaps with her abilities, with her personality, with her beauty. But without her disgust for him.

"No." He shook his head. While they may look like her, and perhaps even act like her, they would never _be_ her. Sabrina was one of a kind, after all. He knew that just from looking at her, as that gorgeous smile flashed across her face for some unknown reason. But just as gorgeous was her mind; her experiences, good and bad, with and without him. What Will wouldn't give to just be able to go over there and hold her close, to kiss her just one more time, to tell her that he would never leave her side again for as long as he lived. But no, that was not going to happen. It could not happen, at least not then. Sabrina, while standing mere metres from where he stood, could not have been further away right at that moment.

"Let's go," he said, turning away. "We've been here long enough."

***

"That jerk! Saying that I didn't look anything like Naruto! I _am_ Naruto!"

"It'd be best to keep your voice down about that," Rina suggested. "Apparently you're a fictional character around here," she added with a chuckle.

"It doesn't stop all these little brats from running around pretending to be me!" Naruto said. "Especially that one," he said, gesturing toward a Caucasian Naruto cosplayer at the other end of the cafeteria. "He kept saying 'Believe It!' every other sentence. Grinds my nerves!"

"Get over it," Zoro said. "You know you're the real one. Doesn't matter what anyone else says."

"Hey, mister!" Zoro looked to see a teenage guy staring at him. "Your earring's on the wrong ear."

"Why, you-!"

"Shush," Sabrina said, taking the man's arm as the others all laughed in unison. "We have bigger Magikarp to fry."

"That we do," Zuko said. "Such as answering the question of the day: why _are_ we fictional characters in the first place?"

"Perhaps it has something to do with the Toraifosu?" Rei suggested. She was sitting there in a red top and a pair of jeans, the only one of the group to change her attire upon arriving at the convention. And to top it off, she was even wearing a pair of sunglasses inside, along with a blue baseball cap, and her hair had been tied back into a ponytail. Sabrina could guess why: she did not want to be approached by anyone dressed as one of her friends, namely Sailor Moon. And Sabrina couldn't really blame her, as she didn't think she could handle such a meeting either.

"No, I don't think so," Sabrina said, remembering the _Fullmetal Alchemist_ manga she had seen in Naruto's world. "In fact, this world seems so normal in comparison to each of ours, there may not be a shard here at all."

"But there's still the chibiness," Rina said.

"Oh yeah..." Zuko said, planting his face on the table before him. "How could I have forgotten these giant eyes already...."

"I'm trying not to think about it," Naruto said, a grin on his face as he motioned to one of the waitresses over to their table. She was a young girl, and a white and blue school uniform, and short greyish lavender hair. "Can I have some ramen, please?"

"Currently not available," the girl said, in so flat a tone she could have been mistaken for a robot. She then just stood there with her arms crossed, staring at Naruto with her big, chibi eyes.

"You're kidding!" Naruto said, looking to the floor. "Then, how about some udon?"

"Currently impossible," she replied, in exactly the same tone as before.

"Whaaa...what kind of universe is this?" he muttered, sighing. "Do you at least serve spaghetti?"

"It will take fifteen minutes," was the responce. "Permission?"

"Meh, fine," Naruto said, as the girl walked away.

"Make that six!" Rei called out, to no avail.

But then another voice came up from behind them.

"Hey, you people! What do you want to drink?"

"Oh my God, not another..." Sabrina sighed, looking to this new person, only to get shocked at who it was. "C-Candice?"

There was no mistaking it: this new waitress was definitely the woman whom Sabrina had known as Candice just moments earlier. But now, her black braids had been replaced with a head of long, bright blue straight hair with some yellow ribbons tied into it. And she was now wearing the same school uniform as the other girl, along with a red armband with the words "Super Director" written on it.

She then winked at Sabrina. "I'm Haruhi now," she said, before reverting back to 'strict waitress' mode. "Hurry it up. There's a penalty if you take too long ordering. A penalty!"

"Oh wow, whatever could that be?" Zuko said sarcastically. "But rather than sit through this any longer...I'll take a Pespi."

"I believe you mean Pepsi, Zuko," Rei said, showing him a smirk. "Not Pespi."

"Oh, right," he said, sweatdropping. "I'll take a Pepsi."

"Order from the Chief," Candice/Haruhi then said, causing confused looks all around. "Wait here."

The moment she was out of ear's reach, Zuko sighed with relief. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that girl was the weird thing about this world."

Sabrina couldn't help but laugh at that. Yes, the world they had found themselves in was quite interesting, Toraifosu or not. But still, she knew she had to keep open to the possibilities. They all did.

***

After finally getting their meals, the group watched Candice/Haruhi perform an interesting dance with two other waitresses. The Hare Hare Yukai, it was called. It was catchy, and most of the locals in the room seemed to go wild over it. In some instances even getting up and singing along. It was quite the scene, Sabrina had to admit.

When everything had settled down, Candice/Haruhi came back over to their table, taking a seat right between Zuko and Zoro. "Ah, that was fun. You guys should have joined in! Especially you," she said, making an 'X3' face as she looked at Zoro.

"I'll never be caught dead running around like that," he said, belching loudly as he threw his Pepsi can towards the back wall.

"Oh, so cute!" Candice/Haruhi shouted out.

Rina laughed at the expression that then appeared on the pirate's face. "Well, she is right, you know. Chibification makes anything cute."

"Chibi-what?" Candice/Haruhi asked, looking puzzled. "Well, anyway, I'd just like to say that your group here is amazing. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you guys were genuine."

"Hah hah," Naruto said dryly, apparently not having caught on to the irony. "I don't look anything like Naruto, though."

"Of course you do!" Candice/Haruhi exclaimed, making another 'X3' face. "Most of the Naruto cosplayers here just have the cheap headbands that you can get at any anime shop. But yours, it looks like it was made by hand, just like the actual Naruto's."

"Well, thanks, Haruhi," Naruto said, the irony finally getting to him.

"Call me Konata," she said, winking at the ninja. "That's my real name. Konata Izumi."

"In that case, thanks, Konata," Naruto said. "I'm Naruto."

Rina then slapped him playfully on the side of his head. "How about you give her your _real_ name."

"Hey, what was that for? Naruto is my real-Oh! You want my real name, eh? Well, it's ummm...it's ummm..."

"Puu!"

"What, your name is Puu?" Konata asked, once again with a puzzled look on her face.

"No silly, his name is Naruto."

"Who said that?" Konata wondered, looking to the source of the voice. And there, sitting less than a foot away from her on top of the table, was a creature like nothing she had ever seen before.

Or at least, that she had ever seen in reality.

"Mokona!" Konata shouted.

"Puu?" the recently appeared creature yelped curiously, before getting a better look at the one before him. "Aaaaaahhhh! It's a high school girl!"

He attempted to bounce away, but it was too late. Konata had grabbed him in her quick, agile arms, and now had pulled him right towards her face. "So cute!"

"Puu! Help me, Puu!"

"So this is the ever relentless high school girl?" Zuko said, holding back a laugh, recalling the moment when Mokona had described them to him.

"It looks so real!" Konata said, poking his belly and stretching his left leg.

"I AM REAL!" Mokona screeched, sounding serious for the first time in his life. "PUT ME DOWN!"

Konata dropped Mokona, surprised by his sudden outburst. Mokona landed on the table, his eyes twirling madly as he let out a high-pitched sigh. "Phew! I escaped."

"That's..." Konata began, watching as Mokona got back up onto his feet, as he ran into Rina's arms, calling for her to save him. "That's..."

"Listen!" Mokona shouted, not caring about what Konata had to say. "Mokona needs your help! It seems that I've sent you to the wrong world-"

"You WHAT?" Zoro asked, unamused.

"And Mokona's friends are now in big trouble!" he continued, ignoring Zoro. "So I'm taking all of you with me to the next world. Now!"

"Your friends?" Sabrina asked. "Others like you?"

"No time to explain, Puu!" Mokona shouted out. "Just hold hands, all of you. Quickly!"

"Okay," Sabrina said. "Come on, everyone."

And seconds later, that recently occupied table was empty, as six people had vanished into the next world.

"Umm...make that seven." 'X3'


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"Umpfh!"

THUMP!

"Mokona, you idi-!"

"Sabrina!"

"Ugh..."

Rina opened her eyes.

She was looking up at a clear blue sky, watching a flock of birds fly overhead. She could feel the grass on her back, could smell the moisture. Once again, they had arrived in a forest.

Readjusting to her new surroundings, she sat up, looking to her comrades. Zoro was sitting against a tree, furious look on his face as he attempted to pull the frantic Mokona off of it; Rei was still on her back, but she was conscious and becoming aware; Zuko was already up and about, peering off into the bush; Naruto was flat on his face, apparently having collided with a tree upon entrance; Sabrina was nowhere to be seen.

And Konata was up on her feet, in a daze as she brought in the new environment. With a big smile on her face.

"Oh my goodness, how'd you do this? Is this a virtual reality or something? It must be, right? I am taller, after all. You guys are so awesome!"

"Would you shut up?!" Sabrina hissed, appearing from behind Rina. She grabbed Konata, and clasped her hand around her mouth. "Listen!"

Rina looked in the direction of Sabrina's gaze. She could hear the bushes rustling, as though a strong wind were passing by. Yet the air was calm.

But then..."WIND STYLE! DEVASTATION!"

"RUN!" Sabrina yelled out, as she and Konata disappeared into nothingness.

Zoro grabbed the still unconscious Naruto and put him onto his back, as he got out of the wind's path. Rina, Rei, and Zuko ran in the other direction, hoping they would make it in time.

"Umpfth!"

Rina, in her efforts to escape, went and tripped on a rock. She landed face-down on the ground, as she yelled to the others to keep running. "I'll be right behind you!" she called out, as she quickly got back onto her feet.

But it was too late.

She could hear an ever-growing blast of wind, so heavy it was blowing the leaves right off the trees, and in some cases, the trees right out of the ground. Rina watched in amazement as a large maple tree simply cracked in half from the impact, as it flew off into the distance as though it were a blade of grass flying in a summer breeze.

She realized that she could not get up then. If she had, she'd end up just like that maple.

But before she could think of what to do next, she saw something else flying in her direction. Or, as she soon realized, some_one_ else.

He landed on the ground, not three metres in front of her, fighting against the air as though it were just a minor windstorm. And finally, after what seemed like hours, which had in reality only been seconds, passed, the wind came to a sudden stop.

"Haha!" the man called out into the forest. "You're going to have to do better than that, Kabuto!"

He was tall, towering higher than even Zoro. He wore a lark, dark cloak covered with images of blood-coloured clouds, with a collar stretching all the way up to his chin, and to his wrists, where there were blue, demonic hands with nails painted with purple nail polish. And from his chin up, one could see his pale blue skin, astonishingly small white eyes, and small slits on his cheeks that almost appeared to be gills. But what got Rina's attention the most was the wicked grin on his face, filled with sharp, triangular teeth.

_Shark's teeth._

Rina had seen sharks before, back in her North Atlantic home. But she had never seen one like this, able to walk on the surface.

But more importantly, she hoped that he would keep concentrating on his opponent, whoever he was, and not notice her. For Rina knew with utmost certainty that, if that shark had managed to directly withstand that wind attack, she was no match for him. She stayed perfectly still, attempting to slow her breathing, almost relieved that her hair fit in with the colours of the forest. And for the moment, those little white eyes did not turn to her direction.

Instead, they continued to aim straight ahead, at his apparent opponent. Rina heard nothing of him at first, but then she could hear the crunching of leaves as this new person, 'Kabuto,' appeared in her line of vision.

He wasn't too old, to Rina's surprise, being just a few years her senior at worst. Though, despite apparent age, his hair was already light grey colour, which he had tied into a ponytail. He was of average build for the most part, but there was something horribly wrong with the left side of his face. It gave the impression of scales, and the eye was larger than normal, almost reptilian in nature, with a circular yellow pupil, with the other eye being a normal, dark brown human eye. And then there was his own smile, wide open like some evil madman's, with a snake's fang visible on the left side. He was wearing a cloak himself, but his was a deep purple, so deep it was almost black. And beneath that Rina could see black clothing, with a small myriad of cutting utensils around his belt.

"I think I've done enough," he said, laughing like the cliche villain that he apparently was. "You cannot beat me, Kisame. If you could, you already would have. Am I wrong?"

The shark, 'Kisame,' said nothing, as if confirming the man's statement. But no, Rina didn't think that was it....

"Well, you do not have to answer me, as I already know enough. But I do require something of you, actually," he admitted, smiling snidely as he stepped ever closer to his opponent. "Tell me where Sasuke Uchiha is."

Kisame suddenly started to let out a low hissing sound, as his razor-sharp teeth began chattering. "Haha! Is that all you're looking for? What do you want with Sasuke, little boy?"

"I have no time for games, Kisame," Kabuto said, placing both of his hands against his chest, palms out. Then, a blue glow began to emanate from both of them, as they began to get covered in a similarly coloured wave of energy. He then placed one of them directly in front of Kisame's chest. "Have you ever seen my Chakra Scalpel at work? No now, I suppose you haven't. It can be quite useful for a medical ninja such as myself, as I can make incisions within the body, accurately and without wasting time cutting the subject's chest open. But I'm not the one to limit myself to just healing, you know. With one wave of my hand, I can slice your heart open without leaving a single cut on your chest. Or I could puncture a lung just the same," he added, moving his hand towards Kisame's lung. "Or I could do nothing as you tell me where Sasuke is. Your choice."

Kisame said nothing.

In fact, he wasn't doing much of anything. Not acknowledging Kabuto's words, not attempting to fight back, not even breathing.

Rina watched as the shark man's face began to dissolve, slowly at first, until at last, a pool of water splashed effortlessly onto the ground.

"ARGHHH!!! DAMNIT!" Kabuto screeched, glaring up at the heavens, his snake tongue darting out to taste the air. "DAMN YOU KISAME!"

"You talk too much, Kabuto," Kisame said, from an undisclosed location, laughing as Kabuto darted his head around, looking for his opponent. "You think I really care how your attacks work?"

"Tell me where Sasuke is!" Kabuto said again.

"Tell me why you want him," Kisame responded. "If you give me the right answer, I may even help you take him down."

Kabuto thought about that for a moment. "I...I am under orders to retrieve him. From my master."

"Your master?" Kisame repeated his words. "But Orochimaru is..."

"Not him, I have a new master," Kabuto said, almost proudly. "And he is far stronger than Orochimaru ever would have become. My master...a man known simply as 'Will.'"

_Will!_

So, this Kabuto guy was working for Will! Rina had to let the others know!

"We already do."

_Sabrina!_

Landing on the ground before her in a kneeling position, the Psychic trainer glared at the one called Kabuto. "So, you're one of Will's little minions, eh?"

But before Rina could hear his responce, Sabrina sent her a message through her mind. It was a long message, but telepathically, it ended up registering in her mind almost instantaneously. _Rina, we need you to take Mokona and Konata and get out of here! I know you want to help the fight, but right now we need your help in a different way. I promise I will teach you some skills in the future, but that time is not now! So go, and don't worry about us! We'll all be back together by sunset! GO!_

And with that, Rina had vanished, as she was teleported away.

***

"Rina, Rina! What's going on here?"

She was still in the forest, nearly a kilometre from where she had last been. She could still see the remnants of Kabuto's initial wind attack, meaning they were still fairly close to the epicentre of the fight.

The fight that her new found comrades were already participating in. The fight that Sabrina had said that she couldn't handle. Rina knew it was the truth, but still...the truth hurt.

But she remembered what she had also told her, looking to the young girl standing before her. She had dechibified like the rest of them upon entering the new reality, but she didn't seem to notice it as much as they had. She was still wearing the high school uniform from earlier, a white sailor uniform with a blue collar and skirt, adorned with the one red ribbon in the front. Her long black stockings had been ripped in the recent dash, but the yellow ribbon in her hair was still intact, and her knee-length sky-blue hair had managed to stay in place, right down to the single strand that looped into the air right atop her head.

She also still had that annoying grin on her face.

"Oh my God, that's Hoshigaki Kisame, right? _Right?!_" she squealed. "It sounds just like him. I've got to go take a look for mysel-"

"No!" Rina said, getting up and grabbing her by the arm. "Sabrina asked me to get you two out of here, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

"Two..." Konata said. "Oh! You mean Mokona!" She winked, catching on. "He's up in the tree there."

Rina looked up to where Konata had pointed, and almost would have laughed if the situation weren't dire. There he was, sitting exhausted on the highest branch, panting like mad.

"High school girl..." he was saying, over and over again. "Why is there a high school girl here...?"

"Mokona, get down here!" Rina shouted, while keeping Konata's wrist firmly grasped in her hand. "We have to go!"

After finally getting the white blob to land on her shoulder, they were off. "But Kisame's that way!" Konata called out.

"Exactly," Rina said between breaths as they ran through the forest. "If you truly know who he is, then wouldn't you be running away, too?"

"But, surely this simulation has prote-."

Rina stopped, startling Konata and nearly sending Mokona flying off of her shoulder. She clasped her hands on Konata's shoulders, so she could look her straight in the eye.

"Look here," she said, finally getting the girl's attention. "I'm sorry you've gotten into this mess, but you have. And you're wrong. Maybe in your world, this 'Kisame' is a fictional character. Maybe Sabrina, Zoro, and the rest of us are all characters designed by manga writers like Pink Hanamori or whomever," she continued, using the author of her own manga, _Mermaid Melody_, which she had found at the convention less than an hour earlier. "But we are not in that world now. Kisame is not a fictional character. He is very, very real. And we have got to get away from him."

"Okay, you can cut it with the serious talk, girl," Konata said, still not convinced. "If you wanted me to play along, you could have made me Haru-."

"Oooooooooooooooowhoo!"

Suddenly, Konata's eyes grew wide. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Probably not," Rina said, already starting to run again. "It's a _real_ wolf, not a virtual one."

By now she could already hear several sets of footsteps, from every which direction. Except for one....

"This way!" Rina shouted, making a sharp turn to the left. And after running for about another five minutes....

"Oh, no," Konata said, looking what was before her. "You have got to be kidding me. This is the Valley of the End, isn't it?"

They were along the riverbank of a raging stream, just metres away from where it ended abruptly, in the form of a waterfall, surrounded on both sides by immense stone statues, of which she could only see the heads and upper bodies. Rina couldn't see from there how far it was, but from looking at the small trees below, capped with the white foam from the rushing water, she knew it would be quite a leap.

"Oooooooooooooooowhoo!"

"They're getting closer," Rina said, having already decided what they would be doing. "Konata, I need to do grab onto my back now. And whatever you do, _don't you let go._ Mokona, you too."

"You don't mean..." Konata began. "You're going to jump?! Seriously?"

"_Grab onto my back!_"

Konata did as she was asked, as Rina made a run for the cliff's edge. "Please, let us survive this," she said to herself, ever so softly, so not to frighten the already terrified girl behind her.

She saw it for a split second, if that: canine in form, but bigger than most of the dogs she had seen in the human world. Long, shaggy brown fur. Cold, bloodshot red eyes. And a scrunched up snout, showing its rows of pointed yellow fangs.

Only for a split second, and then it was gone. Along with the ground beneath her feet.

She could feel the wind rushing up from beneath her, blowing her and Konata's hair upwards toward the wolves' pack. She had almost gotten used to the world above the waves, in the world of the humans. But right then, at that moment flying through the air without knowing where she could end up, once again she was wishing she was back home, under the waves, safe and sound. With dangerous situations like the one she was currently in literally worlds away.

And in their fall downwards, Rina caught a glimpse of the lake below, at the foot of the waterfall. It may not have been her home sea, but as far as she was concerned, it was paradise.

SPHLOOOOOSH!!!

***

"Rina, you awake?"

She was remembering a conversation she had with Lucia, several years earlier. Lucia was sitting in bed, unable to sleep.

"I am now," she grumbled to herself. But to Lucia, she smiled. "Yep. What's up?"

"When Sheshe and Mimi were immune to our songs," she began. "I was scared."

"We all were, Lucia," Rina said, understanding what she was going through. When facing the Black Beauty Sisters, they're _Legend of Mermaid_ song had failed to work against them. "But, Aqua Regina gave us a new, powerful song," she continued. "And we were able to steer them away thanks to that."

"But what if..." Lucia began. "What if Aqua Regina can't help us one day. What if our songs aren't enough."

Rina got up, turning to face Lucia. "Then we make new ones."

"Huh?"

"We make new ones," Rina said again. "And if they don't work, we'll write some more. And some more after that. And if they're completely immune to our music, we'll find some other way to defeat them."

"Another way?" Lucia repeated her words. "Like what?"

"I honestly don't know," Rina said, laughing. "But if that day ever comes, whenever it comes, I will. And so will you."

Lucia thought that over for a minute. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Rina."

"Rina?"

"zzzzzZZZ...."

***

Rina opened her eyes.

She was underwater, once again in her true form. She gave her green mermaid tail a kick, knocking the rest of her clothes off as she watched them sink to the lake's bottom. She was relieved to be able to do so once again, it having felt like forever since she had last been in the water.

But that sensation only lasted for less than a second, as she quickly searched the lakebed for her companions....there! Konata was just below her, eyes closed, on her way to the bottom.

Rina kicked her tail in the current once more time, as she raced down to catch the girl. And moments later...

SPHOOOOSH!!!

"Aaahhh, Aaaahhh!"

The two girls broke the surface, holding onto each other for the sheer thrill of their latest endeavor, if not anything else.

And Konata was conscious; just scared out of her mind. And Rina couldn't really blame the girl, either. After all, she had woken up that morning intending to go to an anime convention, not to bungee jump over the Valley of the End without a bungee.

"Konata! Konata, are you all right?" Rina called out over the sound of the crashing waves, already making her way toward the shore.

"I'll let you know when I get home," she said, dazed.

"Rina! You're all right! I'm so relieved!" It was Mokona, already standing on the shore, jumping up and down with that maniacal grin on its face. _Looks like he didn't even get wet,_ Rina thought, noting the cauliflower's appearance. She didn't respond to his words, though, instead focusing her attention on getting Konata to safety.

Then finally, they reached the shore. Rina placed Konata on the sand, relieved as she watched her stretch her arms across the ground, seemingly gladdened by the fact that she was now on solid ground. Just as Rina was currently thrilled to once again be back in the water.

Konata let out a sigh of relief, and looked up to the clouds. "So, this really isn't a virtual reality, is it?"

Rina shook her head. "No, it's not."

"I...I saw what happened earlier," she said. "The moment we landed in the water, you...you...."

"It's all right," Rina said, knowing she couldn't hide the truth any longer.

"You stripped! You took off everything but that green shell bra! What are you, a lolicon?!"

Rina sweatdropped as she watched the girl point at her accusingly. She was about to retort back, but she saw a grin spreading across the girl's face. A sly grin.

"Sorry, Rina, but I prefer guys," she said, making another one of her 'X3' faces.

Rina couldn't help but blush at the suggestion. And it had all been a ruse to get her juices flowing! "Why, you little..." she began.

"Hahaha!" Konata began to laugh. "Okay, I believe you now. Not even a-."

SPLOOOSH!

SPLAASH!

Without warning, Rina dove underwater, picked up speed as she performed a three-sixty around the lake, and then leapt out of the water into the air. Where Konata could easily see that she was, in fact, a mermaid. She seemed to stay there in the air for a moment, motionless, as hundreds if not thousands of water droplets sparkled in the sunlight. And her tail, as green as the treetops, shined with an elegant glow that even the 'high school girl' had to admire.

SPHLOOOSH!

And she fell back into the water, resurfacing to take a look at Konata's disbelieving face.

And for once, that is not what she saw. What she saw was an open mouth, jaw-dropped face. "You...you...you..."

"Mermaid?"

Rina turned to see the owner of the new voice. And there he was, standing further down the riverbank, a lazisome look on his face.

Once again, he was a younger man, not too much older than Rina was herself. But unlike Kabuto, this guy looked more 'human.' He had long dark brown hair, which he had tied back in a spiky ponytail, and a pair of stud earrings. He wore a green flak jacket with a black undershirt and trousers, with one of those forehead protectors around his left arm. And upon further inspection, Rina could see that the protector had the same leaf symbol that Naruto had on his. Meaning...

"Meaning one of us has found our way home..." she mumbled softly to herself.

But Konata had a different reaction. "Shikamaru!"

Rina once again sweatdropped, wondering if she would ever convince the girl of what was going on.

"She knows," Mokona said, still sitting on a rock by the water's edge. "Reading facial expressions is one of Mokona's one hundred eight secret skills! So trust me, she knows."

"Then why...?" Rina began.

"Shikamaru, say cheese!" Konata called out, before grabbing a camera from her person.

SNAP!


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"So, you're one of Will's little minions, eh?"

Rina and Konata were out of any immediate danger, so Sabrina could rest assured that she could take on these thugs without worrying about her newfound comrades.

Kabuto turned away from his current opponent, and glanced at Sabrina. His eyes widened for a moment, as his wicked smile grew larger. He had recognized her.

"Haha, Will was right!" he crowed, looking Sabrina over. "Mere words could not describe your beauty. My master has a good eye, indeed."

Sabrina decided to ignore that. The tension was so thick in the air that she could almost see it. They were just seconds away from being in an all-out brawl.

But in those few seconds Sabrina would get as much information as she could.

"Is your master around?" she said, tilting her head and giving him a nice smile. "I have something I'd like to give him," she added, clenching her fist behind her back.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Kabuto said, snickering. "But I'm afraid that he doesn't have time for you at the moment."

_Has he found Shirona before me?_ Sabrina thought to herself.

Kabuto then turned to the forest around him. "My apologies, Kisame. But I don't have the time for you anymore." And with that, he vanished, running into the forest.

"Oh no you don't!" Sabrina called out, breaking into a run herself. This idiot was her only lead to Will's whereabouts, and she wasn't about to lose sight of him so soon. Even while she was running, she was doing her best to block out the sounds of the forest, of the comrades who she had left behind. Until only the essence of the snake-faced man was before her. He was fast, almost as fast as the wind. But with her skills at teleportation all but mastered, he would never cease to be a sitting Psyduck.

She could still faintly see where her comrades were, at what they were facing. Rina and Konata had made it to safety, and had already made contact with the local villagers. Rei was still at Naruto's side, and he was just regaining his consciousness. Zuko wasn't too far from where she had been just moments earlier, looking for the enemy in the shadows. And Zoro...Zoro was...

She disappeared in the blink of an eye, reappearing on a tree branch, big enough to support her weight, a little less than a kilometre away. A branch that was right across from the spot where Kabuto had lay down to rest, panting from the sudden rush he had gotten from attempting to escape from Sabrina's grasp.

An attempt that ultimately ended in failure.

"Heh, heh, heh....You're not only beautiful," he said, catching his breath. "You are quite the formidable opponent. I can see why my master fancies you so much."

"He does not 'fancy' me for my skills," Sabrina shot back, remembering her time with him back at the Pokemon Centre. "But that's not what I'm here for. I'm here because I fancy your master's head."

"That shall never come to pass," Kabuto said, regaining his posture and standing up to look his opponent in the eye. "Because while you may be able to catch up to me, you are still far too weak to face my master in battle."

Sabrina could see the dagger in the man's hand, seemingly ready to strike. _But no,_ she thought. That would be too easy. _The man's a snake,_ she told herself. _Therefore he thinks like a snake as well._

She got it!

Then..."Sabrina!"

She had no time to think as the katana flew by her face, missing her by less than a foot. But of course, she was not the intended target.

"AAAARRGHHH!"

The katana struck the log that had been flying toward Sabrina, splitting it into two pieces as it made its way across the brush. And in the meantime, Sabrina, having lost her balance in the confusion, was scooped up, and was now being carried down to the forest floor.

*****

Sabrina opened her eyes.

She was lying on her back, looking up at the canopy of the trees overhead. At the branch where she had gotten so close to finding out some crucial information on Will.

She had sensed the presence of the fake Kabuto, leaping towards her with the knife aimed at her neck. And in that instance she had come up with the perfect plan to defeat him. But before she could complete her plan...she was...she was plucked off that tree branch like some sort of play thing, and brought back down to her current position.

He was sitting against a tree, looking at her closely. He was definitely a strong man, and she was definitely better having him on her side. Not to mention the fact that she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of attraction toward the pirate hunter.

But right then, and right there, all she felt was anger.

"What was that?" she called out, getting up from her unplanned slumber.

Zoro looked over, seemingly relieved that she had awoken. "There was a man about to stab you in the back. I took him out, and brought you to safety. Had I not been there, you would have-"

"Had you not been there, I would have teleported myself directly behind Kabuto, and pushed him in the direction of the dagger. At that point his clone would have been extinguished, and we'd have a live hostage in our hands."

She was definitely speaking in a higher tone than she had intended to. But the fact was, she was mad. Beyond mad, furious even, as she was facing the man whose incompetence may very well have allowed Will to slip between her fingers for good.

Zoro just sat there, taking in the new information. He had a blank expression on his face as he looked to her again. "I'm sorry. I thought-"

"You thought wrong!" Sabrina said, obviously frustrated. But she couldn't worry about that no. No, worrying about the past would have to wait until it was all over. All she could do for the moment was to look forward. "What happened to Kabuto? Did you see which way he went?"

Zoro shook his head. "My mind was set on saving you, not watching him."

"Well, isn't that so noble of you, Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armour," Sabrina said to him. "I'm not one of those little weakling girls who need everything handed to them. I may not be a _big, strong man_, and you know what? I don't want to be. I can take care of myself."

"You think that's what this is about?" Zoro said back to her, beginning to get frustrated by the psychic's words. "There was nothing chivalric about it. I saw that you were in danger, and I acted. Plain and simple. I didn't know you had something else planned. We're not all mind readers, you know."

Sabrina took that last line to heart. And while she still insisted to herself that there were bigger Corphish to fry, she couldn't let it go. "You think I don't know that?! Everyday, I meet people, unable to comprehend most of the world around them. Just stuck in their own minds, unconcerned or uncaring about what is going on with the people around them. Only one person had really been capable of understanding what is was she went through."

Only one sole, of all the hundreds of thousands of people she had crossed paths with. Only one.

"Even now I can sense your distress, your emotions, your...your barbaric, male urges...." she continued. "Your..." she stopped herself. She hadn't noticed until she had actually concentrated on it.

He was telling the truth. He had genuinely meant to protect her, not because he saw her as a weakling, or because she was a woman. He didn't see her as a weakling at all. Rather, he considered her an equal. He respected her.

"I...I..." she began. "I didn't tell you to follow me." Her voice was calmer, though Zoro could tell that she was still a little ticked off.

"You didn't tell me not to," he pointed out.

Sabrina couldn't say much in responce to that. Instead, she decided to finally focus on the problems at hand. "Where are we? How far are we from the others?"

Zoro looked around, unsure of where he had come from, or which was the way back. "This way," he said, pointing toward a group of trees in the distance.

"And you know this how?" Sabrina asked him, questioningly.

"That's the tree that Naruto hit when we first arrived in this place."

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "Eh?" She looked to the spot, almost certain that it'd lead them further into the forest, as opposed to the other way around.

"Can't you use your powers to determine our location?" he asked.

"I'm a psychic, not a compass," she shot back, annoyed at the suggestion. She then sighed. "This is going to be a long night, isn't it?"

Her thoughts then went out to her comrades. Rina and Konata, were they safe in the city? Naruto, was he back on his feet? Had Zuko come across Kisame, and if so, could he handle him? Could Rei be able to assist him in time? Had Shirona completed her mission?

What had happened to Will?

*****

Ikuto opened his eyes.

"Ikuto! Ikuto! Wake up!"

"Erm...what is it, Yoru?" he said, still half asleep.

"Kabuto is comin-nya!"

He suddenly jerked up into full awareness from that news. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?!"

He ran to the bathroom, looking into mirror. His deep indigo hair was a little messed up, but otherwise fine. He buttoned up his black uniform shirt, and re-adorned the the black jacket that he wore over it. "How long before he gets here?" he asked, repositioning the cross on his necklace.

Looking into the mirror, he could see Yoru, his Shugo Chara, floating in the air behind him. He was about the size of his hand, and seemingly humanoid except for the larger cat paws at the end of each of his limbs, and of course the tail. His eyes were a bright golden colour, which were definitely more feline than human, and his scruffy-looking hair matched Ikuto's in every regard, with the exception of the two noticeable cat ears on either side.

"Soon-nya!" he said, obviously anxious. "We'd better hurry!"

"Oh yes," Ikuto nodded. "It is time. Will thinks I'll respond to his threats, but he is so wrong," he said, clutching his violin in his left hand.

"It is time that he listens to me for a change."


End file.
